


Temporary Fix

by falloutjoon



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angst, CEO Kim Taehyung | V, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Hooker Jungkook, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jeon Jungkook Is Bad at Feelings, LMAO, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Sub Jeon Jungkook, a lil bit of - Freeform, confused, kdrama plot, shitty blowjob, shitty feelings, taehyung - Freeform, taekook, taekook au, that's a fact, yes that's the word we're looking for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-05-16 10:50:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14809937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutjoon/pseuds/falloutjoon
Summary: in which taehyung had two weeks to learn his way around seoul, and jeongguk was conveniently available.





	1. prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this fic is loosely inspired by one of my childhood favorite films (don’t ask why), pretty woman uwu

The clinking of champagne glasses and the sporadic bursts of laughter were like music to Jimin’s ears as this signals him that the utterly spontaneous event Taehyung had ordered two days prior was somewhat a success. The party was blanketed by the chilly, late afternoon weather of Seoul and he was beyond thanakful that they were miles away from the ever-present rumble of the downtown traffic. He could somehow make out the lines of what the man he was talking to was trying to sell as flashbacks of Taehyung repeatedly mentioning how this event was meant to be ‘reserved for possible client interactions’, but Jimin’s mind would just fleet to annoyance when he realized that he was the only one doing the talking for the company.

He snaps back into reality when the man clears his throat loudly enough for him to hear. Jimin quickly reads through the key words he had successfully absorbed from the man’s seven minute speech. He was Yugyeom Kim, a conglomerate heir of a motor group, recently been talked about because of a scandal, asking for a meeting with him and the board to make ‘amicable agreements’ between both the companies. Jimin inwardly snorted at this, as he realized instantaneously that Yugyeom here was just afraid that they would be interested in buying the company off of his unprepared hands; which was, in fact, already discussed between the conference they had earlier.

He just knew he wants to get away from his bullshit. And quick. “Oh, I understand Mr. Kim and do realize your sentiments, I’ll get back to you after discussing this to Taehyung, okay?” He says as he easily manoeuvres away from the expectant man and towards the heart of the party. Thankfully, Seulgi Kang was coincidentally making her way towards Jimin, and the latter could not be more relieved by the distraction she presented.

“Seulgi,” he over-enthusiastically says while settling a hand at her back and smoothly steering her away from the tensioned area he was previously trapped in. “I keep wondering what the night’s sense may be if you weren’t going to show up.”

Seulgi rolls her eyes but laughs softly as a reply.“Such a charmer today, Park.”

Yugyeom, someone that should have gotten the message and let it go, tried to follow with his anxious question, “When should I expect that?”

Jimin takes this as an opportunity to walk her into the more crowded area of the flat. “Soon, Yugyeom. Just soon.”

When they finally reached the balcony, he looks back to check if the coast was clear and no raging, pressured businessman was targeting his ass. And there was none. Jimin lets out a big sigh.

Seulgi, all while holding a champagne glass, faces him with crossed arms. “Well, that was one hell of a goose chase. And honestly, I didn’t dress up this good just to be your human shield from the deals you don’t want to do.”

“Sorry about that.” Jimin attempts to be somber looking enough to hopefully project sincerity and for Seulgi to just drop it.

Usually, it doesn’t work. But for some reason, she gave him the benefit of the doubt and just let it go.  
“So, how have you been? I heard you’ve been engaged.”

Seulgi laughs, “I’m surprised you keep tabs on me. But to answer your question, no. Minho was going to, but I told him I wasn’t ready yet.” She picks her word choice well, hoping for some recognition in his eyes.

Jimin, unfortunately, does not or plays simply no attention to it at all. He raises his eyebrows as a reply. Since Taehyung had unsurprisingly ditched him tonight for some other flavor of the month with his personal agenda, irking him off by flirting with his past flame seems so much of a good idea to let pass.

“Still waiting for my friend, I see?” And to avoid getting hit by the head, he delivers this line with his trademark eye-disappearing smile.

An emotion fleets through Seulgi’s face that Jimin cannot name between being crestfallen and irritated by the mention of Taehyung. But for a response, she rolls her eyes again and decides to play along. “I was sad when I sought him in the crowd, only to see you instead. Speaking of, where is he?”

And so the aforementioned star of the night was a floor above them, agitated by a phone call from a raging girlfriend.

“----needed you but where were you! I’m so sick of just being put on standby and waiting for you when you’re free! I talk to Jimin and the others more than I get with you..” Sooyoung’s voice rattled, giving Taehyung another spark through his ear that furthered his headache.

He barely tries to suppress his annoyance with softness.“Sooyoungie.. just tell me what you want me to do.”

It wasn’t his first time encountering these kind of conversations, and he knows it sure as hell wouldn’t be his last. It always had bottled down to this, having them scream the things that they have done or sacrificed for him like a last shot at making him regret and make them stay. Each breakup was successfully different, some who were brave enough to go his office, some tried to stalk and follow him to the places he went to elope with a different woman, some, his personal favorite, would just disappear with a clean and rid of all their belongings flat; but all of these circumstances never failed to entertain him.

He strongly adheres to the point that it wasn’t his fault that his mother and the education system failed to teach him how to maintain a strong and fulfilling relationship, and frankly, he’s nowhere near interested in attempting to.

“I’m done, Taehyung. Breaking up with you is what I want! I’ve already packed my bags up.”

“If that’s what you want, babe. I won’t stop you.” Taehyung halfheartedly sighs while rubbing his forehead roughly, hoping to somehow relieve himself of the headache. He was admittedly in a reminiscing mood since the moment he woke up so he wanted to spit out a little better shot at making amends with Sooyoung, but he wasn't able to as the silence of the phone and the chatter from downstairs replied to what he said.

He sighs again, only now with a mixture of relief and freedom surging from within. Looking down the glass wall the corner he stuck himself into while talking to his phone had, he saw his business partner and lawyer Jimin and his former fling Seulgi conversing. That made him smile, remembering that she didn't really entertained the fact that she had his attention because all she wanted and longed was Jimin’s, but sadly, as much knowledge he had absorbed at law school and now practice at the company, his friend was still lacking in the common sense department.

He turns his back at them and goes to observe the handful of people mingling in front of him. There were the company presidents, ceos, managers, and representatives of the biggest conglomerates in Asia and a few international ones. Taehyung deeply knew he had to go talk to them in hopes of getting them to invest in the company or see if they needed a little boost because if he didn’t, Jimin Park would and undeniably will hurt him physically.

But of course, Taehyung Kim was the manifestation of spontaneousness, so he smiles, waves, greets, says something about going to The Shilla, and leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a spotify playlist inspired by this fic !! i'll be adding more as the story goes on hehe <333
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/dxniellamae/playlist/5PELgFQ3f59EtrGYHsqP9q?si=3teQE5mARsa43nRde6wACQ


	2. sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sori for the late update but here's quite a long one lololol
> 
> heueheueheue the confusionnnn

Jimin was raised in a perfectly functioning household. He had his parents with him through his every whim and he was upfront to simply the best opportunities, whether in health, academics, and in his social life. But nevertheless, they never failed to instill in him the act of keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground beneath him. Even with crammed papers, killer deadlines, and terror professors all around law school, there was one gleefully smirking, successful Jimin after. He only did get acquainted with the meaning of grit the day he signed a contract to be his bestfriend, Taehyung’s lawyer and right hand at Taejeon. He learned the taste of it when he found out how much his friend had grown physically yet gloriously neglected his emotional maturity. Don’t get him wrong. Taehyung was a ruthless businessman, eager to create wealth ventures from distracted owners, it’s just that he lacks a lot in the empathy department. And it was simply up to Jimin to maintain the legal stability of the company while comforting the heartbroken women his friend leaves at his wake. He usually handles these situations as smoothly and swiftly as he can, but there were a few circumstances where he would just simply slap the consciousness back to his daydreaming, bachelor friend.

Today, he was nearing his limit.

Minutes after he exchanged drinks in hopes to end the small talk and finally a goodbye hug with a tipsy Seulgi that insisted of going off alone with her chauffeur and with the party in its peak, he put on his forced smiles and greetings in search for Taehyung.

He felt small punches to his gut every time he passes a prospective businessman that was mentioned in their meeting earlier. He starts cursing the entity of his friend in his mind harder when a waiter he pulled aside mentioned that he overheard Mr. Kim resigning to his Shilla penthouse for the night merely ten minutes ago.

Jimin makes a beeline for the stairs leading to the garage. He might be able to skin someone alive tonight, in exchange of all the calls he had to make to gather all these important people in one room for the night.

“Excuse me, have you seen Mr. Kim?” He asks the two chauffeurs who were having small talk beside the stairwell entrance.

“Oh, sir. I think he went towards there--”, pointing at where Jimin’s beloved silver 2018 Aston Martin DB11 was parked. Ah, he still feels pretty giddy about it, just like the day he finally got it home. He could’ve written poetic verses of love and adoration for the car of his dreams..

The car of his dreams is now mysteriously moving, as if someone is inside, trying to get comfortable and drive out. He pales, and continues to when he recognized Taehyung’s golden brown hair softly bouncing in contrast to his black headband.

Jimin runs, hits his hips with a few random cars from the crowded parking lot but he doesn’t seem to care as it is his beloved’s life on the line. ‘Don’t worry, baby. Daddy’s here to save you.’, he sobs to himself.

He trusted Taehyung everywhere and always knew they had each others’ back, but not in fucking driving.

“Tae, Tae. Please. Listen, you’ve gotten the wrong car.” Jimin, with all the anger from earlier dissipating, begs. He also prays internally.

Taehyung rolls off his window. “Ah, Chim! It’s excellent that you’re here, man. Was just about to call you. I had to bribe your chauffeur to lend me your keys, so I hope you don’t mind.” He laughs.

Jimin reminds himself to give his chauffeur a piece of his mind later. He then places his hand to his palm to wipe off his cold sweat. “Taehyung-ah. This is a new car. You know that right? I just got this and I am 100% sure that you cannot drive this. Why not your Ferrari California instead?”

“Ouch, Chim.” Taehyung pretends to hold his chest in pain. Aside from messing with women, he loves annoying his worrisome friend. “My car’s buried there at the back and I’m too lazy to wait for them to clear out. Calm down, man.” He places his left hand on Jimin’s trembling arm and raised his right. “I swore to the heavens that I won’t scratch your baby girl, nor do any unwarranted harm to her, alright?”

As if Taehyung knew on cue that Jimin would not be easily swayed by his kilowatt smile unlike all the women would, he attempts to drive out the garage with a lot of unnecessary breaks. Less than five minutes in, he now questions himself if he could keep his promise to his friend. When he finally had enough space to maneuver, he takes the opportunity to drive out. Jimin’s booming voice caught his attention. “Do you even know how to get to the Shilla at this time? And we still have a lot to discuss about Yugyeom Kim!”

“I’ll figure something out, Chim. I’ll text you when I get there, okay? Love you!” Taehyung laughs again, but it does nothing but to dissolve Jimin to his weak knees.

He guesses this is where he may say goodbye to his beloved baby girl.

-

Taehyung was horribly, miserably, and ironically lost.

He thought the street signs and following the traffic could’ve just guided him straight to Jung-gu, but it spat him out to dark, gloomy streets at the outskirts of downtown Seoul.

“Relax, Tae. You can do this.” He has been repeating this to himself for the past ten minutes or so. Cursing, he tries to refresh his memory of driving lessons, how to tackle basic straights and turns before seriously injuring someone else due to his horrible passenger-only skills. Taehyung loved to collect cars, vintage, rare, newly releases, but only if a designated driver comes with the sale.

To make the matters even more dreading, his phone died moments after he left the premises so not even Waze can help him sort his shit out. Regular, infamous Taehyung would’ve just shrugged, drove mindlessly towards any possible roads he can pass through until the sun came out, go to a random convenience store to charge and get someone to pick him up, but this wasn’t his car, years of living in the US turns his home country into unfamiliar territory and his mood has inexplicably trudged downhill.

At last, after several rows of barricaded shops and closed off entrances, a strange, faint red light bleeds through the dimly illuminated street. Since he had no more better choices to go to, he followed it, leading him to a very contrasting place from where he was seconds ago. As he drives slowly, he sees the gradual increase of drunk people stumbling out of the multicolored establishments, the music volume accompanying the buzz of alcohol where the party scene takes place, and the handful of girls that were scantily clothed waiting for customers for the night. Taehyung begins to wonder if he accidentally stumbled to a hidden Itaewon while being lost and this boosts some of his ego back to his head. His impulsive self now wants to go down and have a look at what this place has to offer but his mind reminds him of a stressed Jimin and a lot of paperworks and no matter how he was able to be an asshole for his friend to fix his shit in terms of lovelife, he cannot agitate him more in work.

Taehyung vaguely recalls the a not so favorable time in his life where he swore to his mother when she got sick of her son’s unlikely way of treating life and confronted him, that there was only one thing he’ll handle seriously, and that was work. His mom was skeptical of course, but he knew she understood. What she didn’t was this was because he had other ideas and people to destroy.

This train of thought sours his mood further so he just focused on getting off the street, even if his skin was itching to take part in the outside’s adrenaline inducing festivities. Now, where was the thing you step on to go forward?

“You seem to have a hard time dealing with your sportscar, baby. Want some help?” A deep voice laughs.

This effectively made Taehyung jump, which is something he did not experience often. “I--uh.. I’m alright. I can drive but there’s a lot of unfamiliar switches here.” He glances at his passenger side window to see the voice’s owner was, but due to the lighting he was only able to catch a glimpse of sideswept hair, a sly smile and a studded choker.

“Are you lost, too? I don’t recall seeing you around here.”

“You seem to guess a lot just by looking huh?” Taehyung continues to fiddle with the car, but to no avail. He drove for a while without these intense blank outs, why are they now all arising?

“Where you heading?”

Telling a complete stranger from a sketchy neighborhood where he’s heading isn’t the proudest thing Taehyung has done, but he found himself doing it still. “Jung-gu. The Shilla.”

“₩21,000 and I’ll lead your way.”

Taehyung scoffs, “You can’t just charge me for asking directions.”

“Oh, well. I’m not the one who’s lost anyway.” And the mystery man withdraws from his peering position to lean on Taehyung’s car, now preoccupied in what seems to be his nails.

He rolls his eyes and says, “Ugh, fine. Get in.”

He almost hears the stranger’s smirk when he entered the car and got comfortable. “I knew you won’t be able to resist, love. Now, use this and step on that. Yes, good. Easy, right? Go straight ahead.”

Taehyung doesn’t want this conversation to be awkward one because his head cannot handle anymore stress inducing actions so he introduces himself first. “Well, since we’re going for a while, I’m Taehyung and I am tired. You?”

The stranger laughs again. Up close, Taehyung notices how his laugh was melodious and quite unique. Not that he cared though. “Hello tired Taehyung. I am the manifestation of your deepest desires and your Waze for tonight so you can call me whatever you want.”

Now successfully driving at a laughable speed, Taehyung raises his eyebrows to him and hopes he got the message.

He hears a sigh. “It’s Jeongguk.”

“Seems like it’s been a while since you last had someone ask for your real name, huh?”

Jeongguk shrugs, “I cater to a variety of needs from customers every night. Now turn left.” He leans in closer to Taehyung. “I’m open for surprises though from lost rich boys like you.”

Taehyung can’t help but to snort. “Wow, now that’s certainly a compliment I haven’t been bluntly told. So, Jeongguk. You seem to know a lot about cars and leading people on. I’d say you’ve been doing this for a while now?”

“Now,” Jeongguk points towards a crossroad. “You turn left there and we should be good by heading straight ahead. Yes. I’ve also roleplayed almost all careers possible, but I swear to you this is the first time I’ve played as fucking Google Maps. You could’ve at least told me to get the colors right!”

They both laugh. Taehyung feels the weight of his terrifying blind navigating dissipating, but he should have felt weird, he knew he has to because he had a goddamn hooker from a random street in his car, teaching him how to get to his hotel, but he couldn’t get himself to. He’s in this situation now, might as well see how the night unfolds with his decisions. And he finds himself somehow at ease with the presence of a complete stranger beside him.

“Well, look at you,” Jeongguk adjusts his position to face him. “Are you sure directions is only what you want from me?” He says with a low, almost seductive voice.

Taehyung wasn’t dumb, and he completely was aware of the environment he’s in, but since he’s recently single and has no more obligatory phoning late at night to do, the company’s reaching its peak with his and Jimin’s hardwork, and him afraid of falling into boredom again, he decides that he has nothing left to lose.“The night’s not ending yet and we have yet to get to my hotel... Someone’s in a rush.”

The younger smiles sweetly. “Oh, if there’s anything I’m amazing at, it’s my waiting game. It’s just that I’m worried that you’re not aware of my price that’s increasing per minute as we speak.”

“Trust me, Jeongguk. Money is the least thing you could ever worry about when you’re with me.”  
\--

Taehyung almost dragged a trash bin with Jimin’s side mirror but luckily Jeongguk snatched the wheel right on time and they have finally arrived at the Shilla. Two valet have immediately lined themselves outside the car, obviously more interested in driving it than the passengers inside.

When he got out, he motioned Jeongguk to wait, jogged to his side of the car and opened the door for him. Still, Taehyung doesn’t feel weird. The other boy feels so in silence. He finally had a glimpse of what Jeongguk was wearing, an open chest, button down white shirt that had high slits in the front, black leather pants and dark boots. But Taehyung was oddly transfixed to his studded choker clad neck and the light birthmarks he had on his face that was seen above his subtle makeup. Which was again, should’ve been a weird thing to notice at first glance. He went back to reality when Jeongguk lightly kicked his shins. “Hey, they’re asking for the keys.” He noticed that he was frowning a bit.

“Oh, oh. Sorry. Here you go.” He hands the visibly curious valet the keys to somehow end the strange looks they’ve been giving his passenger. “C’mon, let’s go inside.” He says while tugging Jeongguk’s arm.

“Wait, what? Are you sure? There’s a bus stop just before the entrance I can ride back,” Jeongguk looks down sheepishly, far from his flirty demeanor earlier. “But I need the money now for the bus.”

“Come inside with me, first. It’s too early to call it a night.” As soon as these words left Taehyung’s mouth, the stiffens he felt were mirrored into Jeongguk’s body. “I- uh.. S-sure. Let’s discuss the money at your room, I guess?”

Taehyung manages to squeeze in a small smile. “Sure. Follow me.”

As soon as they crossed the entryway, Taehyung feels the stares from the staff and some guests in the lobby as they try to distinguish who’s face was familiar and whatnot. He was used to this, of course. In fact, he relished the times where people would gawk at him because he feels somewhat powerful that he captured their attention, but now he feels hypersensitive that they weren’t looking at him that much, because they were focused on Jeongguk, who was somewhat challenging them with a snarky stare of his own, and Taehyung finds this weirdly entertaining.

They stop at the front desk to wait for the card key and went straight to the elevators. The bellboy greets them with again, a curious smile.“Executive floor, please.”

Jeongguk snickers, now seemingly in a better mood from earlier, “Do you own this place? They all seemed to be terrified of you.”

“Sort of. I think they were just shocked I actually showed up late but in a very good shape.” Taehyung laughs in return. The doors opened and they stepped out, with him leading the way to his suite at the far end of the hallway. The moment they enter, he hears Jeongguk curse. “Goddamn, how much space do you require for living?”

“Hey, don’t judge me. I pay for big rooms so I have all these furnitures to keep me company.” Taehyung laughs while he gestures him to the living area, yet Jeongguk understands differently but just keeps his mouth shut. His time is running out.

“Okay so look, babe. About the prices--,” the soft knock cuts him off. “Oh, sorry,” Taehyung passes him to answer the door, “Great, thank you for bringing in other choices. Haha, yes. Here’s the tip. Thank you,” and returns with a cart of alcoholic beverages and snacks. “They doubled the amount I usually get because they saw I had someone with me. Help yourself. Oh, and what were you saying earlier?”

Jeongguk scratches the nape of his neck and takes a deep breath. “As I was saying, can I use your bathroom for a sec?”

“It’s all yours.”

Taehyung had already poured a glass of wine for both of them, sat and continues to patiently for Jeongguk to come out. He uses this time to reflect on his decisions throughout the night. What the hell was he thinking with this? Where is this heading and why did he agree with this? Certainly, he wasn’t drunk or high. He have had a wild social life when he was younger and had encounters with different people so what is he--

“Hey, um. Sorry, I took a while. I needed to sort some things out.” Jeongguk says quite unsurely, and frankly enough mirrors what Taehyung’s state is. He sees the glass of wine waiting for him at the coffee table, and chugs it down with no hesitation. “Wow, this is good,” he says as he chugs another, now full glass, before Taehyung feels a sudden change in the atmosphere between them.

With flushed cheeks, he saunters to where Taehyung sits and kneels. “Look at me,” His head snaps to meet Jeongguk’s clouded eyes. His face was freshly washed so he was able to map out the soft freckles he has, now accented by the redness brought by the alcohol, scattered all over his round face. Taehyung dares the latter do the talking and the first move. “I had a great time being your gps earlier, and I have to admit I don’t do this so far off from the bar but I’m already here so fuck it. Do you want me to suck you off right now?”

“I- uh.. are you in that kind of hurry?” Taehyung smirks.

“Look, Taehyung. I know you’re not dumb and you also do know what I do,” he draws back a little to point at the time, 2:20 AM, “at this time, the street becomes littered with people needing a quick fuck and by the rate I’m going to be able to return, they’d be already taken care of so I’m gonna need you to cooperate with me here.”

“How much for the entire night, then?”

Taehyung catches a glimpse of Jeongguk swallowing hard. “I don’t do this one customer type thing that much but that’s going to cost you a lot.” He challenges.

“Is the price meter from your gps-ing earlier still going up?”

“You gotta pay for that too, baby.” He can tell Jeongguk was sort of enjoying this commotion for the money. He guesses he needed it badly, but says nothing.

“How much does a customer pay for one session?”

“₩ 210,000 for a quick fix.” Jeongguk dares, his hand inching its way up to Taehyung’s clothed thigh, and starts to palm him through his pants. He bites his lips softly when he started to feel it slowly harden underneath his touch, all while keeping steady eye contact with Taehyung. It was that easy to follow what he used to say, do, touch everyday but somehow, he feels unprepared for what’s bound to happen and this worries and excites him at the same time.

“Make that 400. And don’t stop until I say so.”

-

Jeon Jeongguk wakes up with a ray of late morning sun, a mind splitting headache and some drool in his cheek in an unfamiliar place, in an unfamiliar set of shirt and sweatpants, in an unfamiliar posh suite that he was sure as fucking hell wasn’t his.


	3. monday morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lil intro about the kook after the whole hurried (intended) mess of the last chapter =)))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> saying sorry again for the ultra late update :(( i was initially planning for this chapter to be posted a week ago but life got in the way and for some reason the words for this chap had all disappeared and it took me days to salvage them into a sort of acceptable ?? work ;-; nonetheless, me hope u guys enjoy <3
> 
>  

The eve of January 1st, 2005 marks the night Jeon Jeongguk finally decided to discard all of the debris the storm resembling his mother left in their barren house. It took him years to truly comprehend why his father always turned the cold shoulder at him, that Jeongguk was the only living proof of his mother’s existence he couldn’t get rid of. Most of his childhood was clouded by a missing figure of a mother that he had always devoted time to wait for to show up and had stepped into the shoes of to somehow maintain some sort of familial bond within him and his little sister.

On the succeeding nights after, he questioned the universe way too many times why he was forcibly rid from the childhood he deserved and hastily placed into the role of being two parents at once for his half-sister, admittedly hoping for a straight up answer rather than an effort exerting one to find and learn about. After he drops her off to school, a sigh leaves his lips before entering his own, welcoming the stench of stagnation in the air around him. He hung out with the wrong group, and soon after took after them. The teachers reluctantly punished him for his wrongdoings, but some have seen something valuable in Jeongguk, his perseverance and strong will, that they hoped he would put in good use and would actually lead him into a better state.

Being a hooker was enough proof that he failed miserably.

No one really dreams of being used for sex in exchange of money, but most were led there by desperation. During his junior year, he was restless. The fees that were long and currently due kept piling up and his father’s daily whereabouts were unknown, including the money Jeongguk earns by gardening their neighbors’ houses, assisting at carrying freshly harvested goods in the market, and filling up some empty shifts at a fast-food chain. He wanted to get out of Calculus and use his time on searching jobs he can squeeze money from for his sister’s schooling, but the mediocre ones he has been getting were never going to be enough for both of them to keep going to school so he asked for advice in the wrong places he initially believed could help him best. They all gave away one similar answer, Seoul.

So with a few paper bills in his pocket, he lined up early in the morning at the terminal, rode a bus to Seoul with a determined self to go home with a steady job. At 10 pm, a hungry, discouraged, rejected, criticized, and empty-handed Jeongguk was near to just laying down on the dim sidewalk and sob his heart out for all the misfortune he manages to attract every time. He was too busy mumbling incoherently self-pity on himself that he missed the curious taps of high heels on pavement, nearing him. There, he met Jennie. Lapses in his state of judgement became her chance to introduce him to the infamous red light district in Seoul and the ridiculous amount of money she and her friends make in a mere span of two nights. He wasn’t really keen on the idea of doing illegal and frowned upon jobs, mainly because he still felt that he could still escape this hole he had sunken himself into and be someone he could be proud of. But Jennie was kind yet persistent, so he gave in for a night. And went for another, then the rest was history.

After exceeding the vacation he asked for at work, he immediately went back to Busan, quit school, entrusted his sister to a close yet unconvinced aunt, left his mundane jobs and moved to the cluttered apartment Jennie and a few ‘workmates’ were staying in, near the district. He initially was terrified of the thought of having sex with a complete stranger but somewhere along the acts he performed, he found some sort of confidence in being fully in control of vulnerable, lonely souls asking for momentarily bliss and a sense of freedom to act like someone he never was, and that was what helped him swallow what’s on his plate. The process went on smoothly as he had gotten used to the basics, the 5 minute limit for the standard price, the depositing of all earned to the group bank account, the weekly check-ups at the clinic before collecting divided pay, times where they should be at home etc. He was not prepared for such a strict management by a pimp at the job he signed up for and admittedly got into trouble he would prefer not to do again by pocketing a few bucks, but hey, as long as it helps him eat, buy records for his Dansette Junior, support his sister back home, then he had no room for complaints.

‘He’s going to kill me,’ was the initial thought he had approximately fifteen seconds after he grasps the context around him. He tries to jump out of bed but was struck by a massive quake of pain in his temples, leading him to clutch his head and curse himself what the hell he was thinking, drinking strangers’ wine with questionable alcohol intent without giving regards to his sorry, immensely lightweight self. A hint of orange liquid in a glass, sitting calmly on the bedside table distracted him from the now ebbing headache, so he turns toward it and gulps the juice while reading the note stuck on it.

“You could’ve at least mentioned how low your capacity is with alcohol so I could’ve done something to save you from your misery lol. -T.” Jeongguk absentmindedly rolls his eyes while reading through the quite neat handwriting, still feeling annoyed at himself. His eyes then flies toward an Aspirin pill propped by a folded sheet of tissue on the table. For a split second, he felt some butterflies in his stomach for the small gesture but he immediately waved it off, thinking that maybe Taehyung had called a housekeeper to prepare this whole shebang. His head replies with another wave of pain and he cringes by the thought of someone seeing him this messed up. He lets off a sigh and gets off the bed successfully, then proceeds to collect his clothes from last night.

He sees his belongings straightaway, neatly folded and arranged on the foot of the bed. “Okay..” was what he says to himself while walking towards the pile, but he just didn’t like to address the strange feelings he had stirring at his stomach. He tries to rationalize that he had patrons give him kinky toys and decent jewelry as a surprise but he was usually the one who takes care of stuff like this on his own. It’s just moderately weird to have someone do this for him and by the looks of the man he slept with last night, he didn’t really strike off that image of being this hospitable. As he was about to recall what really happened last night, his phone sitting on top of his clothes was vigorously vibrating, noting the 48th of then 47 missed calls was about to go off. “Shit, I’m fucked.” Jeongguk groans to himself as he takes a deep breath and answers the call.

“About time you answered,” He notes the time from the wall clock by the door. 9 am. He might as well start to dig his own grave by now. “I was seconds away from sending out a search party for you, ass!” Jennie’s high pitched warning instantly sent his hand to his forehead in dismay.

“I’m sorry, Jen. I lost track of time and left my phone somewhere.”

“You waking up late and leaving your phone? Who the hell am I talking to and where’s Jeongguk?!” Her voice audibly calms down a bit and he takes this as an opportunity to drag himself to the ensuite bathroom to sort himself out. When she was answered with a sigh, she continues. “Oh my god. Did you drink again?”

“I’m truly amazed at how fast you’re able to say the obvious, babe. Yes, I did. And before you lecture me on my poor alcohol judgement, I am already in so much shit so I hope that’s enough.” He hears a snort from the phone and a more prodding Jennie appeared. “So are you not going to tell me how your night went out? I’m calling in secret to check up on my beloved friend before anyone finds out so I hope he appreciates it..”

“Stop guilt tripping me,” he humors. “I owe you ten thousand won because I kind of, genuinely, enjoyed last night even if I don’t remember shit.” As he recounts the happenings of the night before to his friend, he struggles to remember what happened after he claimed to give Taehyung head. He recalls the stupidly high amount of alcohol in the full glass he downed before, the man’s curious yet penetrating gaze at him, shuffling to a dark room after spending time in a well-lit place and the dim, white ceiling of the suite before passing out. He pales at the lapses he failed to remember. He hopes he hadn’t done something embarrassing. But despite of the worry he feels, he somewhat feels a bit at ease with Taehyung’s presence ever since he stepped into the lost rich guy’s car as per Jennie’s persuasion. He was nowhere in sight when Jeongguk woke up, so he reminds himself to drop by a sincere thanks after he picks up the money because he didn’t end up cut in pieces or brutally murdered when he was drunk off his ass.

“See? Shit, now I feel sad that I didn’t approach him first. I could’ve been fucking rich right now. Booking you for the whole night? Goddamn.”

“Sucks to be you.” He says smugly as he looks at himself properly at the bathroom mirror. His makeup was nearly gone, basing on the freckles he hated now at full view. “Anyway, what did Hyung say?” He asks while washing the grime, sweat and regret off his face.

He physically feels the change of mood between them and instantly regrets his words, but it has to be done. “Oh, um.. Yeah. I called because of that. You know him, Kook. He was asking around about your whereabouts earlier and I risked my ass covering up for you having to go home for the night because your sister got sick. Just... go here quickly and have the money prepared. You know he’ll shut up when he gets it since that’s the only thing he cares about. I’ll go with you.” He easily senses the worry in his friend’s voice simultaneously gets hit by that ever present feeling of regret in his work of choice he always had shut down before he gets so much into it. It ate him alive but he decides that today was not the day he’ll think about it.

“Who knew working as a hooker was this dramatic,” Jeongguk laughs warily, trying to change the topic. “I’ll collect the money now and go home, alright? I’ll text you when I’m near.” He says, followed by his goodbyes and a click. He proceeds to hastily dressing up in his strangely fabric conditioner smelling clothes from last night. He takes pride in his nose that’s able to judge people’s whole lives by a whiff of their scent and if only a job that involves the heightened sensitivity of the organ, he would’ve never stepped into the smelly circumstances he had now. This wasn’t his usual Febreze Tide Pods and he stiffens at the thought of Taehyung doing some sort of kinky shit to his clothes while he was knocked out. He felt some sort of baggage the man carried during their time together, but he just didn’t expect it to have something to do with washed clothes.

After fixing himself as hard as he can manage with a still active headache and a time constraint, he carefully trod out of the bathroom in search for his still mysterious client. He checks the living room, the balcony, the two other rooms, with no Taehyung in sight. While he searches, he goes through what he was going to say to their boss. He showed directions to a lost man, then he took him to a high class hotel and he blew him with a promise of 400,000 won. ‘That seems good enough for him.’ He thinks to himself. He somehow drawls a conclusion that Taehyung wasn’t staying here for a long time because of the lack of memories and personality in each article of furniture he passes. Everything seemed so manufactured and stiff.. which was a massive contrast to the enthralling and free falling aura Taehyung exudes, so he hopes it was just that he never intended to channel himself in this suite.

As he nears the massive kitchen and dining area, a rush of relief questionably hits him when he hears Taehyung’s hearty laughter followed by his conversation about something work related. “Yes, my friend. Believe it or not I have woken up early to finish the graphs and reports needed for the Yugyeom shebang later.” A pause, then another fit of infectious chuckles that tugged at the corners of Jeongguk’s mouth while he awkwardly stands beside the massive refrigerator as Taehyung had his back on him.

He then takes advantage of the opportunity to rake his eyes over the man he had slept with last night. It was quite a contrast of night and day that he was not prepared for, with Taehyung was dressed sleek and sharp with his suit yet casual and laidback with an top unbuttoned polo and a black headband keeping his hair off his face last night but was now currently clad in a white grid pajama set, a light blue dressing gown and some white loafers that he could probably bet was more than the entire rent they pay for six months. A ridiculous outfit, Jeongguk tries to comment silently but couldn’t seem to as he does actually make it work. He could probably go outside to buy some Odeng or attend a fashion week in some foreign country and would still look presentable. The fabric hung loose yet emphasized his broad shoulders and chest and since he had his back turned, Jeongguk lets himself ogle at the defined curve of his ass shamelessly and smirks to himself, his head running wild with indecent thoughts. He looked great and Jeongguk couldn’t wait to get home, get shit done and try his best to recall the night they spent together in the shower. His inappropriate line of thought was stalled by his muse shuffling. “Are you seriously not going to drop the whole ‘I stole your car’ thing? I’ll let you drive mine for quits-- Oh.” They both visibly stiffen after Taehyung turns around and was welcomed by the sight of each other. He then says an awkward “Hi.” towards Jeongguk.

“Jimin, I’ll call you back, okay? Yes, I won’t be ditching you anytime soon. Bye.” He ends the phone call with a cough and walks toward the kitchen counter, the only division other than space between them.

“Good morning. It’s kind of late now but I didn’t have the heart to wake you up from your deep sleep.” Taehyung tries to suppress a smile while looking down to prepare his third coffee of the day, remembering how cute Jeongguk was this morning, asleep with his mouth open and drool on the side of his face.

The other boy, was slowly burning in embarrassment as he thinks about the same thing, his image asleep, only difference being him thinking how disgusting he looks. “Um, good morning too. I’m really sorry I woke up late, I wasn’t planning on staying this long but the wine I drank last night almost killed me so..” Jeongguk says with his hand scratching the nape of his neck, a habit he does whenever he’s with someone who makes him nervous.

This gives Taehyung some leeway to recall the happenings of last night and bring back some priceless memories. “Yeah. I haven’t experienced such a vigorous pick-me-up until last night so props to you, Jeongguk.” He says with a wink.

It wasn’t just Taehyung who experienced losing his virginity in something, it was also Jeongguk’s first time interacting with a patron after sleeping in and sex and years of casual fucking does not prepare you to deal with situations like this. With Taehyung’s statement lingering in the air around him, piercing through his skin, straight into the cringe that his body was going through. He beats himself silently to remember what the hell Taehyung was implying and hopes to the heavens that he did not do something he’ll regret for the rest of his life. “Uh, pardon?”

“Nevermind. Seems like you’re already dressed, ready to go?”

“I- uh. Yeah, I’m kind of in a hurry but I need the money now so I can ride back.” He says flatly, as his confidence level lowers because he was now preoccupied and bothered of why his memories of the night before was so foggy and incoherent.

Taehyung reaches for his wallet in his pocket. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Here,” and walks toward where Jeongguk stood, dropping the thick wad of cash in his reluctant palm. Jeongguk hopes he didn’t feel the tremor in his hand due to his nerves. He curses himself to be still and get a grip on himself.

“I’m also going out so I might as well give you a ride back to save off some of that cash you got there.” Taehyung chuckles as he brushed past him, intentionally nudging his shoulders to tease him further. He got the reaction he wanted when Jeongguk nervously cleared his throat and faced him with his eyes looking anywhere but him. “I can take the bus..”

“I insist,” he says while collecting his (Jimin’s) car keys from the living area where the housekeeper left the wine from last night. “Besides, I need you to help me with my driving and navigating this city.”

Jeongguk sighs and follows him but keeps a safe distance. “Fine. But why me? Don’t you have a chauffeur waiting for you downstairs?”

He was answered with a chuckle. “I left mine at the party last night. And I need a professional roleplaying Google Maps like you to accompany me. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you bonus when we get back to the district.” Jeongguk stiffens at the mention of the place, “H-how do you know about that? I- um.. Can explain..”

Taehyung senses his discomfort and waves the topic off. “Did some research when I woke up.” He walks to the door and opens it. “You coming?”

“Oh, um. Yeah.. sorry.” Jeongguk stutters and makes a beeline for the door. After locking it, Taehyung hands him the car keys. They ascend the empty hallway quietly and up until the suffocating tension in the elevator was when Taehyung cannot stop himself further and just asks, “Do I make you that uncomfortable?” and this time Jeongguk feels the teasing air dissipate around him and gets replaced by a serious one.

He immediately steps out of his anxious state and snaps his head up to meet Taehyung’s. “No, no. Sorry, I was just.. Ugh. It’s my first time seeing someone again after a session and I don’t know how to react.” He hopes he communicated his sincerity through the embarrassment of confessing that to someone, followed by the redness forming at his cheeks to the man in front of him. Gladly, he seemed to and just smiled back at him. “I understand. It’s actually my first time too. I usually get up early from a one night stand and leave before anymore misunderstandings happen. It makes things so much efficient.”

Jeongguk was caught off guard after hearing a somewhat accurate reasoning same as his for his line of work. The shock had ebbed away quickly though, as he can quite derive from Taehyung’s looks that he was the type of guy who does flings often, because why the hell would he feel okay taking a hooker to a five star hotel? It was all truth, but Jeongguk finds himself anxious again.

“Yeah.. same.” He nervously laughs as the elevator door opens at the lobby. They walk side by side, yet looked at different directions. One looking straight and one looking down; almost as if reflecting on the life they possessed.

Jimin’s car came into view outside and Jeongguk prepares the keys in his hand. The valet now gives them both a respectful nod, far from the glances they give him prior and he recovers some of his wits to smile smugly at himself. Despite of the line of work he had come to terms with, he was still not keen on the idea of being looked down on because of that, so rare moments like this he relishes for his ego. And up until then his mood was changing for the better when Taehyung, now sitting beside him and clutching the steering wheel, ruins it with, “I don’t know if I should take offense in you puking after giving me a blowjob last night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also interested on ur feedbacks n thoughts about the things going on so far. i’m open 2 talking 2 u guys about everything n nothing in particular lololol so ye hehe. thank you for reading and have a great day! <3


	4. monday afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> too much park seojoon can lead to more procrastinating, hence this very late chapter. my sincerest apologies :--(((((

The harsh December wind against his bare and raw skin has done nothing to console the chaos his emotions were in, and he was waiting for some sort of cue from his body whether to now feel liberated or to just wallow in self hate. The highlight he prepared for for almost weeks, was now over and done with, and the few, red scratch marks here and there, the tenderness of his swollen lips, and tired, shaky legs were the only reminders of what had taken place within the dingy walls of the motel he was assigned in.

He hugged his thick coat tighter around him as he navigated through the dim sidewalks en route to the apartment he now shares with his newfound friend Jennie and other sex workers around his age. They all, along with Jeongguk, shared that quality where you look at them and see someone who seems to be better off and up to something miles away from the reality they are in. Before he was given a customer, the manager of the brothel took one through and through look at him and spat out all the details he needed to improve in his physical state. The spur of strict diets, weekly medical tests, new hairstyles and wardrobe options were the part of the preparations Jeongguk can easily swallow. The ones that demanded huge amounts of his pride and dignity to be discreetly shoved aside and be somewhat near to a mere plaything were infinitely harder to, and if he were to be honest, he has yet to come around and fully accept that.

But no one really cared or wanted to hear about the sappy emotional constraints of a prostitute has, and he was lucky enough that when he teared up whilst having a dick shoved up in his mouth, the 40 year old something man, gullible enough to pay several paychecks too high than the minimum rate all for a promise that his entertainer for the night was as pure as a hooker could be, was too engrossed in the feeling than to notice Jeongguk’s eyes watering. He never had anything in his mouth yet he was beyond thankful for a swig of cheap alcohol, just enough to keep him tipsy and out of focused, and the curious, prepubescent mind of a boy discovering the gay category in porn sites. Exactly an hour later with a different persona, he was then passed to another customer, a woman this time, and humorously found himself in the same position as the man earlier.

He guessed that the more encounters he spends throughout the night, the less his connection with his body became. It was a cacophony of scratches, grunts, and hurried breaths which as far from appealing to the young man. It felt like being frostbitten, with the ice seeping in deeper each feverish kiss was given to his body. As he rounded the curve framing their apartment building, he lifts his dead emotions up by priding himself for keeping his dick hard and able to stay pleasurable for his personal audience. God, that sounded so awful in his head.

The moment Jeongguk walked inside their apartment and saw Jennie with one of their roommates Nayeon all cuddled up and cozied in the couch, he felt the ice surrounding him start to drip down his body then settle for the floor. He breathes. He made it through the night.

After exchanging smiles and promised, exclusive sexposę stories (a word Jennie coined, as per hooker lingo), the three sneaked out the room before their other roommates get home and climbed up the rickety set of stairs leading to the rooftop. It wasn’t anything special, just a pallet large enough for one person to lay down properly so they just mainly use it for sitting, some small, battery-operated string lights that they had bought from the market and an unlimited supply of oxygen and the free view of the sky above, yet the five bottles of soju and three lunchboxes that sat innocently on the pallet provided a different atmosphere.

“What’s this for?”

Jennie clears her throat and her breath went visible due to the cold. “It’s your first night out there, Golden boy. We know how hard it had been for you so we figured,” gestures at Nayeon who nods affectionately, “we’d give you a little celebration.” She says sheepishly.

“We knew it’s not much but.. we’ll figure something out when we’re not as broke as now.” Nayeon adds.

Jeongguk was always well acquainted with the fierce and sometimes aggressive Jennie so this girl with blushed cheeks was all new stuff to him. He then answered with a genuine smile and comments airily how this was a little bit tolerable and that earned him a hit in his nape. When the girls started to distribute the food, his hands immediately go straight to the soju without even bothering to use the shot glasses and downed almost three gulps in a second. He heard Nayeon whisper, “Oh god, Jen. We didn’t think this through..” Then a stealthy hand grabs the beverage from tipsy Jeongguk’s grasp. “Ya, that’s mine!”

“We know it’s party time, Kook, but the boys aren’t here to carry your lightweight ass down so take it easy!”

But as soon as Jennie finished nagging, Jeongguk stole the bottle right back when she wasn’t aware. With a triumphant grin, he took another giant swig, much to the girls’ dismay. “Just let me be,” he coughs, “This is what I need after that long ass night.”

Nayeon smiles apologetically as she pours her own glass. “That bad, huh?” He semi nods and coughs again, breaking apart the chopsticks to stuff his mouth finally with food. He garbled out some in the words of ‘I don’t want to talk about it anymore,’ in which the girls just looked at each other, sighed, and changed the topic. He was beyond thankful that they did, because he often channels his well hated quality of being a terrible lightweight into good use when he wanted to forget about something he was scared of, as if to drown all the voices in his head for a bit. An inevitable habit he inherited from his deadbeat father.

Amidst their laughters from catching up with each others’ lives before this job, it cemented that night in Jeongguk’s mind, a night where he was just out in the cold, enjoying drinks with his friends, with the Seoul’s city atmosphere surrounding them. It was always something he looked forward to as he gets sucked off or play an impossible role in bed, because he just could not wait for the moment he steps out of the persona the customer wants him to portray and just be himself with the light feeling of normalcy enveloping him.

There were also times where those breaks he longed for were hard to fully achieve, with late schedules, emergency visits to home, or just being so wasted and tired to bother. Within those days, he couldn’t bear to swallow each degrading call customers whisper in his ear, like an itch that hands couldn’t reach and spreads like wildfire across his skin with tearing his skin apart would be the only way to escape it. He hates it. He hates everything. He hates himself. The boiling pot of self hatred and unconventional bursts of dignity makes the thought of screaming profanities at the unwarranted hands exploring his body so enthralling but before he does, he feels the telltale digging of the thick wad of bills on his pockets from the client above him and remembers how this funds his sister’s schooling and therapy, so he stops, obeys, and does a good fucking job.

That was before Taehyung entered the picture.

He almost spits out the mint candy he absentmindedly slipped in his mouth while getting ready. "W-what?"

He lifts his horrified glare to meet Taehyung's, who was more transfixed on the road yet still had a smug smirk plastered in his face that did nothing to worsen Jeongguk's sinking feeling. "I did what?!"

"You look cute when you're wide eyed like that," Taehyung laughs as he slowly turns, merging with the highway traffic, a move that he obviously wants to show off to the man next to him but fails miserably as Jeongguk's face gets more horrified.

"Yes, Guk. You heard that right. I had a swell time last night figuring out how to deal with our suite's laundry machine and going to 7-11 for some detergent so.. some gratitude would be well appreciated." He threw a smile in the still speechless man's direction before facing the road again.

"Holy fuck, I'm so sorry. Fuck, what do I—,” Jeongguk trails on, finally stuttering out of his repulsed state. He wasn’t the type to mess up and now that he did, he didn’t know how to go from there. Should he pay him back or should he just open his side of the door and jump out the vehicle at full speed and just die of being ran over than drowning in embarrassment—

Taehyung bursts out laughing, and before Jeongguk had time to register amidst his poor state that that was somewhat really infectious and melodious which made his heart kind of do some sort of unnatural movement, he abruptly catches the steering wheel and leers Taehyung away from crossing the opposite lane and almost effectively damaging this beauty of a car and giving both of them intense whiplashes.

“Shit, sorry,” Taehyung now chuckles and Jeongguk wants nothing more than to hit his forehead, in which he does. He may have a penchant for hitting people, in persona or not, so he may have gone a little bit overboard which was no good at all since they were still on the road.

“Ow, the hell!”

“You almost got the both of us dead or in debt for life with this fucking car, dumbass!” Jeongguk nags.

Taehyung, instead of just saying another round of apologies to comfort his passenger’s state, plays along. “Wow, I could’ve been mugged last night for getting some damn detergent at 4am, and I still haven’t heard any appreciation for my efforts!”

“Well, it’s not my fault your damn wine of choice had shitload of alcohol content in it. You could’ve had the best blowjob worth your money without it!” Jeongguk retorts.

A snarky response from Taehyung made him stop. “Did I even force you to drink that much then?”

Jeongguk sighs, turning his body away from Taehyung and toward the car window, leaning his head. “Fine. Thank you.. for last night. I’ll make sure to be mindful of the things I drink.” And yet, he still feels his ears and cheeks burning as the image of him puking all over himself last night resurfaces in his head.

If there was one thing Taehyung hated more than losing, was being stuck in a middle of a tensioned conversation. He hated the way the words that needed to be said was just hung up in the air, a complete waste of time and energy. And the worst thing to have it is in a car setting with the suffocating sense of proximity, that was now clouding on both of them.

So with that said, he risked letting his left hand control the steering wheel and used the other to go grab Jeongguk’s cold hand that was unsuspectingly laid in his thigh, earning a jump and glare from the latter. He then places it across his forehead and says, “It still hurts and I can’t massage it because I’m driving so you do it.”

As Jeongguk’s still processing what he said, Taehyung brings back his right to the wheel again and pretends to hold it tightly for dear life in which Jeongguk snorts, “Really though?” He nods with a smirk.

“Fine. Ugh, your requests keep getting weirder by minute.” As he gives him somewhat a massage which is actually Jeongguk’s excuse for wiggling his fingers hard and almost grabbing Taehyung’s forehead to shake that makes him laugh humorously.

“I swear, if this car crashes or if we get a scratch somewhere, I’ll put all the blame on you at court.”

“You told me to give you a massage! And I didn’t hit you that hard at all for this.”

“Ya. It really does hurt so don’t go too hard. You’re making my head spin.”

In a teasing voice, Jeongguk says, “Oh… I made your head spin? That’s cute,” in which Taehyung rolls his eyes in response.

“By the way, judging by our 10 hour acquaintance, the massive, five-star hotel room, the rich friend who owns a damn new Aston Martin that let you, someone lacking immensely in the driving field, borrow it for a night, and the branded clothes, you’re either a ceo or a con artist.” Jeongguk asks. It’s been bugging him ever since he entered his car last night, and he needed to dig a little bit deeper in Taehyung’s qualities for him to grasp this reality; that he’s real, and last night was real before he never sees him again.

Yesterday wasn’t really the best of days for him so he wasn’t really feeling up for various sexual deeds and kinks that he, obviously, had no opinion about. He owes a lot to a pushy friend and a lone designer car in a strange neighborhood for giving him a night off from that schedule. It was a blip of serendipity a sex worker rarely gets, and he was eager to preserve that memory to hold onto later.

“I’m impressed about your astonishing observations, Mr..?”

“Jeon.” Jeongguk retracts his hand from his forehead and Taehyung silently groans at the loss of contact. They were nearing in the typical Seoul afternoon traffic, so he felt relieved that he can still bathe in the comfortable atmosphere around them, and he had to admit this was a first after a long time.

“Okay, Mr. Jeon Jeongguk. I am actually both, but Jimin, my friend, spoils the cons I plan to make so I stick to being a boring ceo for now.”

He hears chuckles from his side. “Why, was me being a con artist so unrealistic to you?”

“Not at all,” Jeongguk puts up the sun visor and lets Taehyung have a look at himself in the mirror. “Holy shit, I didn’t know I hit that hard.” When Taehyung first eyes him in confusion before looking at himself, Jeongguk lost it.

“Ugh, I have to go do errands after this!” Taehyung’s voice was annoyed, but Jeongguk couldn’t take him seriously with that pout on his lips. A red welt made by the latter’s strong hand was spread across Taehyung’s forehead.

Jeongguk’s laughter comes in its last spurts and finally settled into a sigh. “Okay then. I think I won’t be able to sleep tonight while being bothered by the mysterious happenings you talk so fondly about when I was knocked out, so c’mon. Tell me.”

“Do you really want to hear it though? I.. I may joke about it a lot today but if it makes you uncomfortable..”

“Why not? I mean, it was probably my fault it happened so I need to know, like, the consequences it caused. So, yes,” Jeongguk wiggles his eyebrows towards Taehyung’s direction. “Unless, you did something you’re not proud of last night..”

The car lurches forward as Taehyung, clearly too excited, stepped on the gas pedal hard when the stoplight turned green. “I most certainly did not!”

Jeongguk uses the dashboard to steady himself, both physically and mentally. Taehyung looks at him and grins in which he replies with a glare. “Come on, we’re almost there!”

“Fine,” he chuckles. Then he begins to recall one of the most unusual nights he had ever experienced.

The scene opens with Jeongguk’s mouth wrapped around his cock. Taehyung’s body was cooperating greatly with his ministrations, clearly showing some expertise in his work, which Taehyung appreciates a lot; but his mind was caught in a whirlwind of emotions. He was always up to new grounds to explore and eager to go deeper than the surface of the world around him, but does he really have to go this far?

What he reasons out is that he just broke up with Sooyoung after a two month escapade because he got the deal between her father’s company and his, essentially getting what he wanted means getting it over with.

What he understands is that he was bored so he picked up a hooker along the shady areas within a city he had only stepped into with the accompaniment of his best friend, a personal assistant and a licensed driver.

What he couldn’t seem to comprehend was why he let him inside his personal space (he is a loyal promoter of the separation between work and personal life), joke around, and even be curious enough to know a bit about him.

‘He’s a prostitute, Tae. That’s what they’re meant to do for money and you have no more better things to do, right?’ was his last thought before he focuses on the one kneeling before him, waiting for what more he has in store.

What he didn’t acknowledge was the fact that he felt an undeniable connection between the both of them, which he blindly admits to why he agreed to do this in the first place, that they both screw people up for money. He may not know the man’s reasons why, but it was nice to have someone go through the same thing. Plus, he looks decent and does good at his job.

After he rode through the shudders that his orgasm came with, Jeongguk looked at him with a pleased expression but his eyes were strikingly distant, leaving Taehyung wondering strangely at himself for expecting something else.

“Wow,” he had said, loss for words as he bathes in the post orgasm bliss. He was stunned that he was able to go along with this, but he was the proudest when he lasted long enough to cum. Twenty five years in and there’s still parts of his body that he has yet to master.

Jeongguk hazily seemed to process what he was about to say, but was cut off by his abrupt standing, muttering out an excuse and running to the en suite bathroom with his hands clasped on his mouth. Taehyung was no less baffled by the happening and as his eyebrows knit together in sweaty confusion, he reasons out that it may be something he, what.. tasted? thought of? that made him puke? Clearly, his now recovering head was littered with impossible questions as he grew more and more conscious of the events that happened within this hotel room.

That was when he heard the loud thud that came from where Jeongguk was and instantaneously, he got up to fix himself before rushing to see what the commotion was.

He opened the door to a sight he still wasn’t sure what to feel for. In real time, Jeongguk visibly shudders in cringe as Taehyung describes in detail how he had found him unconscious on the marble floor, with puke still laying flaccid in the toilet bowl where had been obviously kneeling in, matted in his chin and down his top and a bit on his pants.

Taehyung admitted that for a second he had thought that he had accidentally killed Jeongguk with his cum or may have accidentally knocked some pinch of a harmful chemical in his wine. He looked for signs of frothing mouths and dilated pupils, but instead saw his chest silently swelling and decreasing in size and he could have never been more relieved at the sight.

He asks the present and embarrassed Jeongguk who already had his left hand clutching the wheel, guiding him in his turns and lane shifting, how he managed to fall asleep in that state. He shrugs in response, “I was drunk, okay? I drank some shots of vodka before hitting the streets.”

Taehyung’s eyes blows out at this point as he sends a glare in his direction. “Well, you have your answer now! Had no one ever tell you that mixing vodka and wine can basically kill you?”

“Look, okay. I just wanted to get a tad tipsy before my shift starts. I don’t have a lot of time to learn about alcohol chemistry. Stop judging.”

He chuckles before he resumes, now with Taehyung from last night attempting to bolster up what seemed to be someone who consisted more of muscles than water content from the mess he made from the floor and himself. It didn’t help that some had gotten into Taehyung’s clothes too as he threw unconscious Jeongguk’s arm around his shoulders to guide him off the marble ground.

He can almost taste the cigarette smoke-filled air and the sting of his father’s bitter words in it, too, “Well, this is what you get with your all over the place reasoning, Tae. Now go suck it up and take care of it.” He just responds to these thoughts with a resentful smile. He was always the one who cleaned up any mess, regardless if it was his doing or not, and he couldn’t just leave Jeongguk to fend after himself, so he once again does what his father had always demanded him to do, only this time with a purest heart he could manage to send Jeongguk out to his world again as good as before they met.

Taehyung finally succeeds in planting Jeongguk safely (well, he didn’t suffer from a concussion minutes after so he automatically assumes that it’s safe.) on the counter, leaning his head carefully on the wall. He steps back a bit to stare at what he’s dealing with. With Jeongguk now snoring softly, his eyes were free to roam his muse and his mess that ran down his chin and to some on his chest. Normally, there is no way in hell Taehyung would even agree into doing this but he can’t really call someone up in his room because that will just end up with more questions and conclusions that might potentially bleed into the company talk tomorrow and he was in no shape prepared for that. He left Jeongguk’s front for a second and went to go dampen a face towel that was neatly folded under the sink. He takes a deep breath again, now with the room smelling like someone bathed in pure Marsala that made him want to vomit, then he ambushed the boy’s face.

Fairly enough, present Taehyung now states, it was not that hard to clean up because it was not like the dramatic puke you see in movies so he greatly thanks Jeongguk who was rolling his eyes again at him. During the soft strokes Taehyung did that he did not even know he possesses the patience to do so, he now had the unfiltered view of the beauty marks that were scattered in his skin, even the small scar on his cheek. With one last gulp and check if Jeongguk was really asleep by poking one of his eyelids lightly with no response, Taehyung let his fingertips glide through the uneven pattern created by it.

He omits this part while recalling with Jeongguk the happenings of last night because there simply was not any reason for him to do so. He would probably find it very weird to have someone very close and touching your face when unconscious, he convinces himself. This was one of the quirks he had since a kid, always being fascinated by scars, whether it’s from his body or others and picking at them even if it’s not yet dry. Maybe there was some sort of psychological shit related to that and Taehyung had long grown tired of the same optimistic crap the doctors advise him.

He snaps back to himself when Jeongguk shuffled in his sleep, and quickly goes back to cleaning his neck and chest area. Taehyung, again, tries to talk himself out of the strange butterflies building up in his stomach as he unbuttons the polo he was wearing, exposing his (quite envying) chest. He just clears his throat again and runs the towel into the planes of his broad shoulders and defined collarbones, with his eyes following suit. And if this were a movie script, he was convinced that the author would have just wrote out how he was trying to drink in every detail of Jeongguk as he can before he leaves, but it was nothing like it seems to be like in spectators’ eyes. After this night, he would always keep in mind to bring a goddamn powerbank and a driver before stepping outside.

Once he finishes cleaning him, he carefully slides off the clothing that constricted the whole new level Jeongguk was hiding behind. He cannot help but to whistle for emphasis in the present, earning a hit in the arm from his guide. “I swear to God, Taehyung, it will be so much easier for you to just admit if you’d have done to me when I was knocked out than go ahead and lasciviously describe my chest while you undress me!” In which Taehyung replies with a snort and “Necrophilia isn’t my thing, Jeon. If I were to fuck you, which I don’t think will happen anytime soon, I’ll make sure you’re alive and well to see and feel it.”

After their present occasional banter, past Taehyung had just successfully cleaned (well, he hopes that soap and water will do), dressed an underwear clad Jeongguk that he most likely would not be proud to admit he enjoyed ogling at his almost naked state with some random sweats he packed for himself, and took a bath after he was snug tight in the bed, he was now faced with another massive roadblock from him and a good night sleep in the couch--- Jeongguk’s soiled clothes.

Jeongguk almost jerked his hand from the steering wheel to cover his mouth from laughing, which caused the car to swerve a bit away in its lane and a terrified Taehyung giving him an unpleasant look. “You’re telling me.. that in your twenty-something years of existence, you don’t know how to operate a washing machine?”And that is because Taehyung’s mother drags him across town to help her shop and pick out the nicest tie or the nicest shoes or whatever for his ever present father and lets the maids do whatever was left behind by the two. It already took him 20 minutes trying to find the damn washing machine that was disguised as a door and he was agitated at how he’s going to put soap inside the thing, because to wash means with soap and water, right? He scratches his head annoyingly as he stomps his way to the living room to collect his drained phone, plug it in with a random socket, and search on Naver how to operate a washing machine.

Ten minutes later, he finds himself wearing a baggy coat with a bananas in pajamas striped pair he enjoyed sleeping in, late night shopping in a convenience store, hoping deeply in the divine mercy of the earth to not let any paparazzis catch him wearing this ridiculous outfit and give Jimin a massive headache trying to clear out any evidence of it in social media. He had just hailed a taxi that he paid double just so that the driver can wait for him to finish and get back home safely. He mentally curses himself for putting no other than himself in such a demanding situation that initially would have been so much appreciated if he was not tired or with great company. He readily skips through the laundry section, grabs the first detergent and conditioner he can find, not even bothering smelling it and handing it to the bemused cashier he refused to make too much eye contact with. After his package was bagged and a severely overpriced taxi trip, he walks with his head down in the nearly empty lobby and enters his--- no, his and Jeongguk’s room with a sigh. He met him no less than three hours ago yet he had done a number of things he would not even think of doing to any of his exes.

The sound of the clothes tumbling inside the machine signaled Taehyung that he can now resign to his self designation, the couch, for resting. Why, present Jeongguk may ask, why sleep in the couch when there’s enough room for a giant orgy as he phrases it in Taehyung’s king sized bed, and he will answer in the most sincerest voice he could muster while turning to the same street he found Jeongguk in the first place, because someone very smart decided to fucking sleep horizontally while drunk.

With four hours of tossing and turning with a tumble down the carpeted floor, Taehyung calls it a day and drags himself to the kitchen, whipping up the coffee that could possibly make him awake for almost a week. Regaining some strength in his bones, he was interrupted by the loud coughing from the bedroom. Worried, he quickly went to see what had happened. Jeongguk still slept in that weird position of his, only coughing because he drew too much breath on his snore. Taehyung laughs at this, and still does so in present time, in which Jeongguk feels his ears burn in embarrassment.

His mind then fleets into thinking what would happen if he would wake up and what changes would happen between them. Taehyung hates these moments where the exciting part of a day, or a night, a weekend, or a trip is over and he had to say goodbye at some point. He admits that he gets attached way easily, basically the reason why he acts such an asshole to everyone that tries to get close, coughs, Sooyoung, yet denies the ultimate thought of getting attached to a prostitute right away. Out of all the efforts he gave him last night, might as well make it until he was sure in not engaging with anything involving Jeongguk at all; so he spends the entire early morning fixing up his clothes neatly (yes, he had to Naver and Google how to fold clothes) and whip up some juice and a hangover tablet he read up somewhere. He left a note, too, an inconspicuous one so that everything was not too sweet nor endearing that can freak out Jeongguk.

After all of the errands he did, he stands by the balcony to admire the timeline of Seoul being busier each minute of the morning passes. His reverie was halted by ringing of his phone. He hurries to reach it by the couch, careful not to wake Jeongguk up. His best friend Jimin, who was on the publicist mode, had on a voice that Taehyung understood as the confused Jimin, and he prepared himself mentally about the array of questions that was about to flood his ears. “..I had some reports here, Tae. Someone posted a picture of my car in one of the red light districts. Good thing this fucker had some sense to blur its license plate. So, um. Tell me, Tae. Why the hell were you picking up prostitutes in a shady place in Seoul that’s miles away from your hotel? Was a quick fuck really that worth it more than finding potential investors?” He swallows the still hot coffee and blinks. Yes, he is now awake and alive as ever.

Taehyung knew he had no choice but to tell Jimin everything, including his thoughts and unwarranted dents in his bank accounts for spending time with Jeongguk. He knew Jimin would listen, as he always does, but he could not erase the fact on hearing a poorly veiled doubt beneath his words. Taehyung understood that his friend was not a hundred percent into his happy-go-lucky personality, but he was the only one who knew him this much, so like an open book, he spilled everything; everything except Jeon Jeongguk and in between. All while talking, he sat on the couch directly in front of the bed, where he had a perfect view of the sleeping man with his mouth open and snoring. Less than twelve hours in, Taehyung finds himself lying to the only person he trusted much in the world for the sake of the stranger that laid in front of him.

Strangely enough, he does not feel any regret towards it.

“There we go, then stop at that blue building right there. Yeah, by that grocery store.”

A suffocating silence floods the car atmosphere when Taehyung kills the engine.

Jeongguk wanted to say, “So, this is it?” but instead says, “Thanks for the ride, Taehyung. I had a great time.” It was the words he always said after a session, but somehow it tasted so bitter in his mouth today.

Taehyung wanted to not open the automatic lock and just continue driving around town with Jeongguk as his guide. Seoul seemed much more entertaining with him but instead opens them anyway. “You’re welcome, Jeongguk. Wait, I’ll walk you at your door.”

This signals a warning in Jeongguk’s eyes as he leapt from the car to the sidewalk. He wanted Taehyung to remember him like this, all cool and swift and funny, not a beaten up one with a swollen and cut lip. “No! No, I mean, I’m fine, Tae. Just go on your meetings for the day. I’ll be fine.” He hopes so.

As if on cue, Taehyung, who was walking towards where Jeongguk was, persistent in going with him until he really has to go, was halted by a phone call.

Jeongguk breathes in relief and in somber. A part of him wanted to run around and drive like maniacs around Seoul with near death experiences made by Taehyung’s clumsy hands. Seoul does seem so much brighter when you have someone with you to appreciate it. Instead, he just laughs at how stupid he sounded in his head. It was like one of Hyung’s lectures in never participating in any activity outside of work practices, he never understood why would he want to spend any more minute with someone who just wants his dick back then.

He does not know how less than twelve hours can easily change a lot, but omitting the connection they had whether Taehyung was aware or not, stirs up Jeongguk in the places he’s scared of facing so he goes inside the building without any word, believing for a second that absence can help in forgetting that easily.

Taehyung, upon answering Jimin’s call, was aware of Jeongguk’s presence not being there anymore behind him, but as Jimin babbles on about this dinner tomorrow night with Yugyeom Kim and that he should bring a date in order to lighten up the mood and the night turning into a social gathering than a bloody business merger sounds delightful to the company’s ears, he thinks nothing more than after dismissing this call, the giddy feeling of knowing immediately who he’d ask out for the night.

That is, until he hears a fist collide with skin, the dull thud of a body hitting a hard surface, and a shrill scream of a girl to stop.


	5. the night before - monday evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> our lead couple steps aside a bit to give way to our ((((struggling)))) side couple <333333
> 
>  
> 
> ngl i had straight up jimin feels after this n i love jimin with all my heart but he is detrimental to my hyung line self so ..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel that every chapter starts up with me apologizing for the late content and this one isn't any different lol after a month long hiatus of just staring into an unfinished work and not knowing what to write was downright frustrating and at a time i just wanted to put something out there for people to read but i couldn't just post a piece of utter shit so yes after all that overthinking, i just said fuck it n wrote without too much thought and after rereading this, i think i did a decent job (hopefully) 
> 
> so yes moral of my experience is the need to do everything perfectly is so good yet addicting to the point that you're doing more harm to yourself than good so all of u beautiful people that see this message i hope u do things at ur own pace and comfortability and dont be too hard on yourselves bc u is doin jusss fine n ik u'll do good <333 ok enough rambling ty for 300+ hits n i will try to update more in this month <3333
> 
> ALSO!!!!!!!! epiphany will be the death of me 
> 
> i will sob myself to death w that song

Seulgi nearly trips on her princetown loafers as she ran to block her walk-in closet door, her only protection against a fuming mother and a persistent suitor. Hiding from them would only be half the reason why she almost risked ruining her marabou robe by stepping on it just to cut them off. From an outside point of view, yes, it was just a normal sight of a girl struggling to find the perfect articles of clothing but they could not, should not see through the physical mess that laid in front of them and know how much of an emotional mess she was underneath her pristine image.

All because of that damned man, Jimin Park.

Her mother’s booming voice came after the pounding on the door. “Ya, we were supposed to go to your—,”

He quickly cuts in,“She meant the monthly family dinner, Jagi. Have you forgotten already?” Seulgi almost laughs at the thinly veiled frustration dripping from Minho’s sweetly intended voice.

“Seulgi,” she hears her mother dramatically sigh, trying her hand at convincing her own daughter. “We’re going to be late if you don’t come out now. We’ve talked about this, remember?”

In which they did, to the point where she can almost recite the exact choice of words that spill out from their mouths. Disregarding the fact that this was actually her and Minho’s engagement party if only she got drunk enough to say yes, (in also which, she didn’t), the dinner was a tradition their whole clan had practiced for as long as she remembered, where every sibling and corresponding children were expected to drop everything in their schedule and attend a two hour affair and her cousin Joohyun’s ultimate debut in the party planning world, so she ought to be present. She was already up and ready to go fifteen minutes prior of an unexpected email from a certain Taehyung Kim, casually informing her of the appearance of her aforementioned muse in a certain upscale flat in Seoul, coincidentally a ten minute ride from her apartment; definitely more than enough to unravel her in record time.

Also, judging by the image the mirror located opposite the door spat back at her, she did not look _that_ family-friendly-yet-down-to-anything-glam to her taste. That couldn’t do. She had decided to now kick off the newfound freedom outside forces forbid her to take almost half of her life and her top, ultimate agenda is to find and determine if Jimin Park was healthy or detrimental to her heart and deal with it once and for all.

“I’ll be done in ten minutes! You can go ahead and I’ll just take my car.” She says, hoping for that miniscule chance that her relentless mother can let her go and do what a typical twenty-four year old does. Minho’s presence is a huge leverage she has against her, because of her mother’s need to instill a pristine image of their family in his and his kin’s eyes yet her daughter’s spunky attitude proves to be a massive roadblock in that direction.

As if fate conspired to let her attend this party wherein a Jimin in his natural habitat resided, her mother caves in, maybe along with Minho’s convincing. “Okay, fine. Do you want Minho to go with you?”

“I’d love to, Seul-ah.” Minho pipes in and she visibly cringes at his chosen nickname.

“No!” Deciding it sounds too harsh, she adds, “no, it’s fine, Minho. It has also been a while since I’ve driven myself.”

“You know where to go?”

She lets out a sigh of relief as small taps of footsteps start to pad away from her room. “Yes, I do.” She says as she starts to now ease the pressure she had on the poor closet door and pick up the wrinkled, designer clothes that grazed her feet.

He leaves an “Okay, take care,” before exiting his ex-almost-fianceé’s room quietly. Seulgi winces at the thought of him still hoping for something to magically happen between them. She blames herself for not being brave enough to cut him off early and for being partly responsible for the unnecessary attachments it caused for the man.

Grabbing hangers for the few dresses that still lay crumpled on the carpeted floor, she absentmindedly checks the time and sees that she still had an hour to kill before gatecrashing her then-fling-that-was-actually-her-unofficial-best-guy-friend Taehyung’s party. ‘It wouldn’t hurt that much to make a quick show and go escape thirty minutes later,’ she thinks to herself. Clad with a Gianvito Rossi thigh high boots and a panther Gucci tunic dress that will surely give her mother a slight heart attack for showing up in that outfit, she saunters away from her room to the foyer where she collected an excessively pink gift box containing an Amelia Earhart Barbie doll with a matching pink vacation jet for her niece, Haejung, before succumbing to the chilly weather outside.

It was the first time in a long while where Seulgi was able to exit her apartment without an assistant and a chauffeur and touch the cold handle of the driver’s seat with her own hands. She mentally writes a note to thank Minho for taking her request to be left alone seriously. It’s just sad that she had to end things just for him to really listen to what she wanted and needed. It had been always like that when the name Seulgi Kang shows up in a party or a gala’s masterlist of guests or in an international gathering of important people whose names are hard to remember. It was a name that reeks of manufactured gestures and instructed commands, a name that always had been the final decision and say in things without the owner’s permission.

This had always been the setup for twenty-four years and although that surely has become suffocating, she always found comfort within the ones who never treated her soul as lacking, but enough. They came in the forms of the people she grew up with, the same kind that were given the hefty weights of their names before they were even born, Jimin and Taehyung. Those two has always been connected, as if a string was tied to their ankles that makes them walk the same time even in different directions.

Seulgi’s parents were always eager to guide her in following the success stories of their descendants, and hers and Taehyung’s dysfunctional ones coincidentally had a liking in utilizing their children as a pawn in their games. They were always the ones prepared beautifully like a bait and thrown in the unfamiliar sections of the sea to see if it was a safeground for ventures or not. It was Taehyung who grew to love the catch that she despised. But unlike his greedy parents, she knew there was still kindness that resided in his heart, you just have to squint as hard as you can to see beneath his opaque walls. From a spectator’s view, it was always Taehyung and Seulgi, Seulgi and Taehyung whose presence sets rejoices in the social groups. She can easily recall each iteration of people who eagerly summed up their entirety by vulgar and flowery words, depending on their agenda in print or in media, and she could bet on a heartbeat that their parents have long rooted for them to be together, which she would object relentlessly toward.

It wasn’t that Taehyung was ugly or had bad breath or whatever that scare girls away, in fact he practically bathes in their attention everyday. He looks like he just walked out of a fanciful novel; rich in knowledge, finances, intellect, words that can make even his unreasonable actions become more than acceptable, an impeccable facial structure that could surely let him win the top spot in the 100 most beautiful faces of whatever year were just some features of Taehyung that Seulgi could list before she dozed off. She just simply (and thankfully,) was too preoccupied by someone else when he was flexing his infamous traits.

And of course, the star wouldn’t be complete without some emotional baggage and it had a lot more impact being a witness on how it grew from an irk in his heart to eating his soul throughout the years. His came as a result of the sick games that their parents made him play blindly, of being made up only for the sole purpose of being used as a prop for the image of the business or for wooing a potential investor’s daughter into the family. He became the embodiment of that activity and treated people, opportunities, and the like as something petty and replaceable after milking them from what he wanted to obtain.

There were only two and a half living things he maintained his loyalty toward, and Seulgi was more than thankful to share that half with Jimin alongside Yeontan.

There it is again: a mention of his name and she’s a goner.

She carefully backs her refurbished Figaro out of the parking lot and into the bustle of the early Seoul evening. With the windows down, she relished the feeling of the wind in her face, blowing her black hair behind as she speeds through the shortcuts to avoid the traffic in the highways. A memory concocted by the silence and the mellowing twilight presents itself in her mind, opening with a seventeen year old Seulgi releasing her pent up frustration in nibbling the straw of a Hibiscus green tea a younger Jimin shoved in her direction from his Panda Express takeout meal. It was an hour before the hyped up BigBang concert almost everyone cool at school talk about and she was certain that she would not miss out at all, but after being caught up in a hellish load of homeworks and a huge fight between her and her mother about curfew (they wanted her home at 10, which was nowhere near her ultimate bias wrecker Daesung’s ment!) that resulted in her getting grounded and losing her pass to have their family chauffeur drive her into the venue, her poor adolescent heart was near losing hope.

Twenty minutes later, she found herself seatbelted in a decent pickup truck Jimin found buried in the garage his family shared with the Kims. He briefly mentioned how this was the car his father used when he was just a student new to Seoul but she was then too preoccupied with panic of losing her seat to care. She was even aptly surprised now that she actually managed to remember that piece of Jimin that was now too rare to pass by. She blushes at the thought of him calling her after that horrendous fight that could have surely made her homeless if it weren’t for her father’s persistence, asking her what he could do to make their household quiet down for the night so he can study for that Politics exam tomorrow in peace.

Jimin probably thought that his passenger was busy catering her anxious self but amidst all the feelings, she still had enough time to observe at the boy that drove her through town with ease even with his deadlines for the night. Sure, he was a tad bit annoyed at her request but he still did give in, sending her beyond thankful that Taehyung’s snobbishness didn’t rub off to him during all those times they spent together. Puberty changes did create a gap between the boys and her and she blames the boost of testosterone as the cause of their distances.

Being the youngest of the three, Jimin was still that little boy Taehyung always dragged with them to get ice cream from the store or to go play with his new consoles to Seulgi, but throughout the days prior she saw the small yet impactful changes in her friend, like the strangely deep voice and the increasingly built arms that were now near her legs as he tries to grab some fries in the paper bag. Personal space was the least of her issues back then so when she felt the shudders with his arm so near, her leg jolted away from the almost-contact in confusion. Jimin looked at her weirdly, clearly sharing the same confusion.

He’d then ask if she was alright, if she’s cold he could lower down the AC, typically mundane questions that caring Jimin comes up with in genuine concern and he’d probably asked her these many times before so why were those words now stir up a different meaning in Seulgi?

Suddenly, she felt very self-aware in only a Fendi yellow wool pullover that barely can cover her ever growing long legs and some Charlotte Olympia Kitty flats she grabbed in her closet in a hurry and curses herself to not succumbing to Sana and her clique’s peer pressuring the entire girl population in their section to wear makeup. She then responded with a somber ‘nothing.’ before facing her body to the car window to cut off any other conversation between them. The unfamiliar silence that enveloped them both continued to slowly eat at their insides until Jimin decided to break it by complaining how clogged the highways were due to the rush hour. He then looked at her, and oh god.. that look, the very look girls at their school always gushed about and a look that was just an urban legend to Seulgi until now, made her ears turn beet red so she immediately turned away from him and faced the road with furrowed brows feigning confusion. If she were to open her window, all the continuous horns and the buzz of the engines that combines in an almost painful static sound will no doubt hammer itself in both their heads.

If this was another day, she would have greatly appreciated the oranges and reds from the car lights blurring to the deepening blues of the sky, took a mental picture of it and bring it to life in canvas later. She always liked to capture the mundane moments in her profligate life because they get seemingly rare to pass by the older she gets. But this day did not give her much luxury of time, not with a concert due in an hour and strange butterflies in stomachs for a best friend.

Jimin interrupted her line of thought by letting out a displeased groan. “Ugh. We’re not going to make it with this kind of traffic.”

Something with Jimin’s use of the word ‘us’ poked at the butterflies in her stomach. ‘Goddamnit Seulgi, get it together,’ she mutters at herself.

“W-what do you suggest we do, then?” She hoped he did not notice the slight quiver in her voice.

“Ah! I got an idea,” He looked at her with a sly smirk. “You trust me, Bear?”

And it was more rhetoric than asking for assurance. She knew that he knew she did and always will, but there’s no way in hell she’d ever admit to that, so she just snorted and asked, “Why, what are you planning to do?”

He mischievously wiggled his eyebrows and started to swerve the car near the u-turn lane. She vaguely remembers how a momentarily panicked expression passed her face and Jimin, as if he knew on cue, glanced at her and smiled, promising her that she was going to reach the concert on time and they’ll be safe. He turned into the shortcuts hidden in the quiet neighborhoods without the use of any maps with ease, and she remembers how she couldn’t help but ask him how he had learned these streets so well.

“When my dad gets stressed, he would often do this. Drive around the city with no agenda at hand. Mom says it’s a waste of gas and time, but lately he had been taking me with him to, I don’t know. Maybe keep this small tradition alive, I guess?”

The aforementioned tension that blanketed them both earlier was now dissipating with the air coming from the rolled down windows of the truck. As promised, she went to enjoy her concert whilst Jimin waited in the car patiently with a flashlight and his Politics book in hand. Maybe if she knew beforehand, she would have relished this particular night, where the confusions did start to grow yet enabled her to appreciate deeply how he cared back then, before she lost it.

She would deal with this Jimin and butterflies situation later, she thought. The whole pre-BigBang fiasco in the car as time passed felt like a dream, the calm after the storm. She admittedly would have dealt with it in a much more beneficial way, yet it was puberty we’re talking about here, and we have all stood witness at how it subconsciously improved yet ruined some chances we had at life. A young and confused Seulgi often consoled herself by pitting hatred towards Jimin, like the way he ditched his coconut-resembling hair to side parts or the way he replaced his loud, statement shirts that made him so pathetically edgy into more classier pieces in order to divert any bubbling feelings she may have had (to no avail), not knowing that that was the initial spark that flared through any existing comfortableness in their relationship, causing both parties to just have this concealed strain against each other.

Sometimes, she thinks in present time, if she had not shied away in embracing her blossoming feelings towards the boy, she would not have to go through the martyr friend stage wherein due to the lack of understanding the boys had with her species, they would automatically approach her for any girl crises they encounter (a.k.a. Jimin’s asking for assurance in what gift or gimmick to get/do in order to woo the girl he’s been interested in off her feet and Taehyung’s incessant bothering of what to wear for a party in order to garner more girls chasing after him.) and would have saved herself from the gaping scars of unrequited love.

But time, no matter how cruel in her adolescent years, still had been merciful and gave her one last shot to do what she wants. That is, if she finds a much more efficient way to lure him away from popping an engagement ring from nowhere to an inconspicuous woman before it’s too late.

As the dinner venue comes into sight, she takes a deep breath before allowing herself to get swept by the roaring whirlwind of impressing people with expensive accessories and bags and superficial connections built solely on money. Funny how it was initially labeled as a celebration of the family’s individual growth, but the adults have found a great way to turn it into an exhibition of wealth in some way. The heavy glares from her mother the moment she entered the room were easy to wave off, as well as most of their relatives were easy to soak all the animated talk she had been doing so while she pays attention and affection to her niece who was looking irritated while situated in their table, she finds herself aimlessly planning an escape route that involves the overly decorated bathroom of the esteemed restaurant her cousin, Joohyun, had booked.

It left her baffled, wondering if she had been clear that the whole thing had been called off, because the place still felt tinged with the designs a prepubescent Seulgi had in mind for her future engagement party with a prince charming and almost felt bad looking at the emeralds and golds of the flowers that hung from the high ceiling and the small blooms and foliage that graced the long table itself. It would have been such a nice wedding theme to celebrate in and good thing Joohyun salvaged most out for the dinner. A flurry of a pink marabou jacket catches her eye and she knew exactly who was extra enough to wear that to a family reunion.

“Baechu!”

“Ya! I was beginning to wonder if you’ll ever show up,” her cousin says, rolling her eyes as she swiftly glides through the small throng of aunts that sat near the front and gives both Seulgi and a still agitated Haejung a bear hug.

“Trust only you to wear a thick coat and some Stella McCartney platform boots at a party you’re hosting,” Seulgi laughs as she eyes her cousin whose baby hairs are starting to stand up due to her movements. “Why are you running around for errands, though? Don’t you have a crew to help you prepare?”

She yelps when Joohyun gives her a pinch at her waist. “Be quiet! Of course, there’s a crew but I stole some girl’s job for checking if everything is finalized to get away from,” her cousin says as she conspicuously angles Seulgi’s face to get a full view of a charming man with a grey Henry Poole suit, sitting in a farther seat from the long table and huddled over to his phone. “ _that_.”

She pushes Joohyun playfully and rubs the pinched area. “Oh, looks like someone’s got a persistent suitor too,” she teases and little Haejung joins in as if she knew what her older cousins were laughing about.

Joohyun rolls their eyes at the sight. “Ha, funny.” She then proceeds to pull a walkie talkie attached to her waist and says to the ones listening that the party was going to be in full swing and everything’s absolutely perfect. After a satisfying silence through the parades of thank yous from the crew Seulgi has yet to see scurrying around the venue, Joohyun pulls the chair beside her and sits with a groan. “I’m definitely not in the best shape anymore to go hands-on in this industry,” she says while dramatically leaning her head to the chair and wiping her sweat from her forehead.

Seulgi finds the scene hilarious yet confusing as obviously Joohyun was tired but not **THAT** tired, until her eyes fleet toward the man who was previously slouched toward his phone look up suddenly. Their seats were not that far apart, so with a little squinting she could easily discern the worry painted on Seokjin’s angelic face that was undoubtedly directed towards her cousin who was now trying to smoothen out the curls that flew away from her straightened raven hair.

Maybe once upon a time when adolescents first tasted the bait of the in and outs of being in love and loved, a spiteful Seulgi and Joohyun nearly disowned each other for that man, but after a few petty glares and stiff greetings (and also a big realization on Seulgi’s part), they soon let it fall behind them and now Seulgi takes pride in being the wingman in disguise for Seokjin.

She lightly kicks Joohyun’s shins and laughs quietly. “Ya. One minute you tell me you’re getting away from Jin then you pretend hurt to get his attention right away. You’re dramatically confusing, Baechu.”

Her cousin‘s head shots up and throws her a dirty look while she massages her shins. “What do you mean getting his attention? He could ditch this dinner and never show up to any gatherings for all I care!”

“Uh huh. Keep telling that to yourself, sis.” Seulgi snorts at Joohyun’s pathetic excuse. As she focuses on catching up with her five year old niece with her newfound friends at kindergarten, she was kept entertained by the tension between the two grown-ass people in front of her, playing a strange game of I’m-not-looking-at-you-I’m-looking-at-everything-BUT-you for the past three minutes. And the telltale glances Joohyun keeps on giving her phone? Seulgi’s a hundred-and-one percent sure that they were practically texting each other (well in Seokjin’s case, he was texting her, she only sends read receipts back) and she had to control herself enough not to just lock these two up in a room by themselves to force them to talk amicably.

The setup was not always like that, though. There was a key point in Joohyun’s twenty seven years on earth wherein she got drunk, soaked through by rain, and mugged, wearing a soiled Carolina Herrera wedding gown and being strangely calm while sat in Seokjin’s Porsche Macan after everything has gone shit, but she would happily just settle on this setup of running around like kids, away from problems they were too terrified to face.

Seulgi was getting more and more agitated by the minute as the chatter of her relatives keeps on building a painful static to her ears. She elbows Joohyun and complains, “Ya, you made rounds fifteen minutes ago. Why is the dinner still not being commenced?”

Joohyun, who was clearly more preoccupied by discreetly scratching the invisible dirt in her tablemat, gets startled by her nudge. “You act like you haven’t been to any of our family’s ridiculous gatherings,” she says in a displeased tone. “You know how everyone nowadays suck up to Harabeoji, so when he does not feel the urge to start the dinner yet, there’s no dinner to be held until he says so.”

“Ugh. I don’t have time for this.” Seulgi now copies Joohyun’s earlier tantrum but with a few stomps and hair grabbing.

“What’s up with you, Seul? You’ve been distracted ever since you got here.”

“Yeah, aunty. You’ve always teased me about having a boyfriend; now that I’ve been telling you about someone I like that looks like Do Minjoon, you’re not listening at all.” Haejung interjectedly pouts in between them.

Seulgi first looks at her niece apologetically and spills out sorrys that she seemed to buy, then proceeds to look at Joohyun with meaningful eyes, as if to say I _’m-going-to-send-you-something-juicy-so-be-prepared_ look.

Joohyun immediately grabs her phone in hand, opening her and Seulgi’s chatbox.

The gray typing dots that appeared on her phone screen made her heartbeat jump erratically. It’s been a while since her cousin gave her that look, and that last time was bad news that’s laced with rejected proposals and ugly tears, and Joohyun does not want a repeat of that.

Seulgi and Joohyun both jumps as their relatives that was already seated in the table stands as an old man that had resemblances from most of the faces of the thirty-something people in the room takes the seat at the head of the table and says his formal greetings before praying and motioning everyone to sit. This apparently was the only cue the servers were waiting for as the moment everyone settled in their seats, they set in motion.

Seulgi’s hands were shaking in both fear and delight as she strategically places her phone under the table and uses her brightness to illuminate the letters she was typing. She tentatively looks at her surroundings for a bit then proceeds typing.

_**to:** baechu_

_imMA FORWARD SOMTHNg on Ur gMail_  
_(sent with loud effect)_

Joohyun, who was humorously in the same position as hers because of the no phones during dinner time rule, snorts while slurping on a bird’s nest soup and balancing her phone in her bare thighs. Seulgi exhales in relief as she glances to her right to see that Haejung was no risk in exposing her aunts because she was busy fending off the spoon her mother was feeding her with.

_**to** : kkangseul_

_who tf uses gmail these days to message ppl thats so lame lmao but k_

Joohyun gives her cousin some side looks as she fidgets with her phone while continuing to devour the soup despite of knowing it had plenty of calories inside because not eating breakfast and lunch almost made her faint during the stunt she did to avoid Seokjin. Speaking of him, she takes a breath and steals a quick glance at that _snacc_ of a man (him in suits were her weakness, don’t judge) with a spoonful of soup in her mouth until she finds the aforementioned man’s eyes already trained on her and abruptly looks away in shame, swallowing the still hot soup in surprise.

Seulgi, who was busy scrolling through all the promotional emails sent to her gmail, was distracted by the coughing of her cousin. Three maids already ran to her side to see if they were any help and the table’s attention were trained on them, even her mother who was seated next to her grandparents throws them a displeased look. She leaves her phone sat in her thighs and pretends to sift around the soup in front of her while rubbing Joohyun’s back.

Seokjin’s voice startles them both, apparently also the dinner party whose curiosity were piqued when he joined the scene. “Are you okay, Joohyun?”

“I-I’m okay, Jin, ladies. It’s fine.” Joohyun blushes as she politely waves off the maids and gives a quick, sheepish smile to his direction before apologizing to the family. The whole conversing began again after and Seulgi lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding before trying to stifle a laugh at Joohyun’s actions.

It was her turn to elbow her cousin’s side. “Just send the fucking email already!”

 **——-Forwarded message——**  
**From: Taehyung Kim (kim.taehyung@taegeukcorp.com)**  
**To: Seulgi Kang (yeppeoseulgi@gmail.com)**  
**Subject: jimin**

**Galleria Foret. Penthouse. 6pm.**

**thank me later.**  
**-t**

“Shit,” Joohyun curses just enough for Seulgi to hear. Luckily, the servers shuffle again for another course, giving her enough time to grab Seulgi’s arm and excuse themselves to the restroom. As they walk inconspicuously in between the scurry of maids, she feels a pair of eyes trail after her steps and she never had wanted to look back and drop everything to kiss him so bad but now was not the best of timing, nor any days after today. She already lost that chance years before and the feeling of regret was necessary to keep her off of his path for the unforseeable future.

When the strangely minimalistic design of the bathroom came into view and became the breath of cleanliness after the designed ballroom, the girls let out a breath in unison. Before they start to speak, Seulgi began checking every cubicle to check if someone might be eavesdropping and proceeded to flop herself in the counter after seeing no one.

Joohyun locks the door and proceeds to talk about business. Seulgi notices the change of aura in her but says nothing. “So, you mean to tell me, that the elusive and workaholic Jimin Park happen to be in the same vicinity as we are right now?”

Seulgi nods. “Should I go or not?”

“Why do you need to hear what I have to say about this? Follow what your heart says, Seul. The opportunity is now chasing you, don’t let it go.” Joohyun says, pacing the room and pretending to be interested in the fresh flower designs, obviously still trying to collect herself after her sudden epiphany.

Noting that Seulgi had stayed silent, she adds, “If it’ll help you decide, I say go. We’ve spent too much time playing fucking fortune teller on what his ass thinks and frankly, I ran out of words to reason out his actions to you

Her cousin chuckles then leaps off the counter and proceeds to look at her reflection in the mirror. “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.” Joohyun inwardly snorts at this because she knew Seulgi like the back of her hand. Even before she spoke about Taehyung’s message, she already knew she would drop everything in her schedule just to see him.

She just sighs and smoothes out some locks that were caught in Seulgi’s dress. “You look pristine, just stop that horrible fidgeting with your nails. Let’s go?” was all she says, but in her mind she wanted to blurt out then and there what kept holding Jimin back to somehow slap some sense to her cousin; but Joohyun herself was living in a superficial world of her and Seokjin, too, and she could not muster to go be a hero yet be a full fledged hypocrite simultaneously.

She walks to the door and motions Seulgi to follow her. “Wait, shit. They’re at the main course already. I feel my mom already noticing I’m gone.”

“Oh, shush. I got you,” she says as they slowly creep out the bathroom, cowering behind a giant vase. “I have this pink box underneath my seat. Just give it to Haejung in exchange of her silence. I might have told her something about leaving the party early to get away from Minho.”

Joohyun chuckles quietly, “Goddamn, now you’ve taken your bribery skill too far with a five-year-old! Speaking of Minho, I haven’t seen him since he escorted your mom in.”

The sudden realization sent pangs of sadness in Seulgi. She was able to go on through the night without even noticing Minho’s absence. She’s still ridden in deep guilt over the whole engagement thing, and the only way she knew that could redeem herself was to be somewhat nicer to the guy. 

“Is he still at the table?”

Joohyun promptly peeks through the top of the vase to scan the dining party and skims through the heads and faces of the attendees that some were now finishing up their meals and standing up for a break. “No, don’t see him. Look,” she turns to Seulgi. “If you’re going to bail, do it now while they’re resting and chitchatting. There’s a staircase by the terrace right there,” she gestures at a set of open balcony doors that led outside.

“Thank you, Hyun-ah. Owe you big time.” Seulgi pecks her cheeks and hugs her briefly before speedwalking inconspicuously through the throng of relatives. When she finally reaches the balustrade that framed the spacious terrace that overlooked an aesthetically designed yard, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She feels a surge of excitement rush through her as she slides along the staircase Joohyun had mentioned. She was finally seeing the real Jimin for the first time in months, a real person not a pixelated face from a Facebook post or a filtered post from Instagram and she couldn’t wait much longer.

A buzz interrupted her line of thought and whipping her phone out showed a message from Joohyun.

_**from:** baechu_

_UPDATE : ive already bribed our niece with your mystery box plus som questioning looks from aunt ara but all is well. overheard from ur mom that Minho got out for som fresh air so watch out. gl 2nite hope u get that ;—-D_

Seulgi had scanned through the yard when she was still upstairs and she deduced that everyone in their party was inside. So her nearly cracking her skull open in concrete by tripping on a protruding arm she did not see clearly did not make any sense until she hears a chorus of deep ‘oh shits’ coming from the men that sat in the first step and stood close by.

“Are you okay?” Minho abruptly stands up from the group and catches Seulgi’s waist before anything gruesome can happen.

Now face-to-face with her number one source of inward stress, she tries to get some distance between them, eager to remove herself from that awkward position. “I-uh,” she mumbles as she tries to smoothen down her minidress that had hiked up at a dangerous level on her thighs that Minho had admittedly ripped his eyes away from the moment they landed on it. “I’m fine.”

The chorus of “Where are you going?” and “What are you doing here?” comes out of their mouths in unison and they can easily discern something questionably defensive in both their questions and the men he was with, probably between three or four had stayed quiet through the whole exchange.

For a second, they stare at each other until Seulgi sees the telltale silhouette of smoke from where Minho sat and the smell of something strongly leafy and does the math in her head quickly. “Oh.”

“Fuck.” They were in between a large tree and the staircase entrance so they were pretty much hidden from sight when you scan the surroundings on the terrace. She understands why they chose this place to smoke weed and others; it was dark, secluded, and the smell easily got swept away by the wind, and gets why she was the one who interrupted someone’s business.

The moonlight that illuminated only highlights of their faces does little to mask the frustration and panic in Minho’s face, and if she quints enough in the light, she can easily nitpick the redness that bordered his alight eyes. “Seulgi, I- I can explain,” he starts.

She cuts him off. “You have nothing to explain. I was the one who interrupted you guys so I’m sorry. I- I’m really just in a hurry and I didn’t see you there.”

He scratches his head and visibly struggles to find words to say while the others coughed awkwardly. This man standing before her was someone else that looked like Minho, stood like Minho, and talked like Minho. He was nothing like the picture perfect microsystem empire heir he was countlessly marketed to her by her parents and nothing like the doting suitor she got acquainted to when he still pursued her like a hawk. Too much of something really is not a rich blessing, because it, too, takes out too much of something from the bearer for a win-win situation.

“Well, um. Thanks, I guess.”

“Can we make a deal?”

“Anything.”

“I won’t tell a soul that I ran into you doing that, but cover up for me when someone asks me where I am.” Seulgi bargains, seeing a halfway easy fix because they both did not have that much choice left.

Minho nods to seal off the deal. Much to her relief, she sighs and sidesteps him to continue her trek to her car in the parking until he interrupts her by saying, “You’re going to that party Taehyung arranged to see him, aren’t you?” in a rather weird tone that left Seulgi uneasy.

“I didn’t ask further about your activity,” that can easily burn his career and tear his family legacy apart if they find out their son is a junkie she wanted to add, “so do I really have to answer that?”

“I guess not. Well, see you around then.”

“See you.”

-

The drive to the hotel that was supervised by Google Maps was accompanied by Seulgi’s erratic heartbeat. Her hands were shaking like crazy, probably because of the influx of surprising events that happened in a short span of time, not to mention another in the making as she drives herself closer to the place Taehyung mentioned earlier.

She glances at the time displayed in her phone. 6:45. ‘Amicably late yet just in time to show up without looking too eager,’ she thinks to herself as she finally reaches the front entrance of the swanky residence. The two valet attendants that were looking out for new car arrivals instantly were at her service, with one waiting to escort her out of the vehicle and the other beside, waiting for the keys. She snorts at the situation earnestly in her mind as the attendants already assumed that the driver of the car was indeed a woman despite of having the windows tinted and having no glimpse of who was driving, but follows their lead anyway.

“Ya, please don’t adjust the seats too much,” she tells the two lanky men that escorted her to the door before returning for her car. “There isn’t enough leg room there but you’ll push through, hopefully,” she smiles and was replied to by a curt nod before expertly maneuvering her small vehicle to the parking spaces.

That was it, she was out of any more excuses of delay and standing in the empty receiving area of the building and freezing ever so slowly in the chilly wind was not a great option to not go upstairs. Sighing in defeat, she swallows the lump in her throat, enters the lobby and makes a beeline for the elevator. Is it such a girl thing to be deathly excited to meet a significant other but to just have it all dissipate in a puddle of what ifs and i shouldn’t gos when you’re almost in the moment?

The bellboy did not even dare to look at her direction as she rode with him to the penthouse in longer minutes with just some jazz music from the speaker above their heads and their soft breathing in unison. Maybe they were both whipped up in their own perpetual struggle at the moment and she was beyond thankful for the silence because sparking some conversation can easily be detrimental to her increasingly anxious thoughts.

The soft ping of the elevator came before it dropped a confused Seulgi to an entirely different villa of some sort. Giving the bellboy a curt smile because she had felt he really needed that and getting a nod in response (again) was her last form of looking back before she walked towards the throngs of important people she only saw at powerpoints on meetings and Wikipedia. The whole place was an architectural paradise because the penthouse looked as if it was a separate building from the flats below, complete with pools and glass balustrades that overlooked the Seoul skyline. The section were she was dropped in looked like the first, open air floor and above them was another but had glass walls to encase the people who weren’t up for the chilly weather.

She vaguely remembers stepping on this place when it was still being developed with Taehyung, and she had to admit, he did a good job restoring the place. The atmosphere was just like what it felt like entering the dinner venue, minus the familial bond between the attendees and was no less suffocating. As she glides through the crowd with practiced grace in greetings hanging on the tip of her tongue, she noted how tiring the process was; people not talking to you unless you own a booming business or if yours are on its way to crash and burn, and got reminded why she always had admired the boys’ patience at events like this. None of the faces she passed were the ones she was looking for, and her feelings plummets into another downward spiral. She sees the flight of self supporting glass and wood staircases and prepares to go up to get a better view of the whole premises; maybe bump into a familiar face to somehow accompany her in this failed mission until she hears that distinct laugh, that small outburst of light happiness he emits wherever he is, and her feet automatically directs her towards it source.

Lately, there had been an influx of songs that had the lyrics somewhat close to being in an entirely different place surrounded with its set of different people but still searching for that specific face in a sea of empty ones. There were the ones Seulgi used to hear whenever Spotify played some recommended song she did not choose or when her chauffeur leaves the FM radio on and another hit song blends its melodies with the sound of muffled traffic after a long day and made her think about its meaning and why those artists sing so lachrymose whenever that’s the topic. She often found herself trying to relate with it to understand its catch to no avail, but walking towards that lively and voluminous hair bobbing around across the room, all she sees and all that matters was him, Jimin Park, in all his black hair glory.

The more she walks forward, the more his image comes into view. He wore an all black ensemble, a black shirt with a raven tux, a total contrast from the ethereal glow he gives off and the closer she gets, the more her lines she had rehearsed disperse in the air around her. He was talking to a man who looked close to their age and was awfully familiar. Maybe she had seen him before during the many business affairs she had attended with Minho because he looks exactly like those K-Drama heirs of a company that was bequeathed to them by ruthless businessperson paternal figures that they could not handle shit. Seulgi notes that while talking, Jimin’s eyes were seemingly adamant in finding any distraction from their conversation and when his landed on her with that split-second head-to-toe look before he smiled, that spark of recognition in his eyes that was only for her was more than enough to send the butterflies in her stomach alight.

There should have been a snarky greeting from Seulgi that she always had in hand whenever she bumps into Jimin to somehow create that boundary between them but her mouth had gotten dry from the shock of finally seeing him after a long time. So when he grins, that very grin that could make anyone smitten to him, she hopelessly let him have his way as he had always done in secret.

“Seulgi,” the way he draws on her name was torture to hear. “I was beginning to wonder what the night’s sense may be if you weren’t going to show up.” Her eyes automatically widens with his choice of words. He wasn’t this forward with his compliments, most of the time Jimin had it meticulously alluded to slight jabs of insult but he hoped she’d get the message and play along and as expected, she did.

Rolling her eyes and spitting some half-assed response she could muster after collecting herself, she also let him steer her out of Yugyeom Kim’s path and towards the glass balustrade she saw earlier while entering. Maybe it had something to do with being overly dramatic, but Seulgi felt no less than a pawn used to someone’s advantage.

When they reached the balcony, the pieces fit all together. The view of the robust buildings touching the skyline where the colors of the day bled into the night and the man of her unwarranted dreams were all gathered in one place but no matter how close their proximity were, she knew in her gut Jimin was still a lifetime away, a ghost from her past she can never grasp. He babbles his perfunctory apologies when she lashed out on him to somehow lessen the bitter feelings she had bottled up inside but her mind was already en route to questioning why she even bothered to ditch everything just for a shitty moment like this, because really, what was she expecting to happen anyway? After that concert night, she had only herself to blame.

With the uncomfortable silence starting to suffocate them both, Jimin thought he had the upper hand again by asking about her engagement. He wants to ask her why, what the hell had convinced her that Minho Kim was any much more husband material after his drug stunts that his mother hurriedly covered up but all that comes out was his usual teasing voice that he’s a hundred percent sure that she understood very assholey. He knew how to make the situation more decent and more honest, he also knew the words he wanted to say ever since that BigBang night but what he didn’t was how to repair the broken communication between them so he settles for fucking with her until she gives up.

Because Jimin Park would rather settle with a temporary fix than a long term solution.

-

Taehyung also would.

After hearing that god awful sound he got accustomed to during his father’s late night drunken antics, he immediately spits out any apology resembling words he can manage to Jimin before ending the call and racing to follow where Jeongguk went. Taehyung did not know what he would be looking at seconds later and it might not even be Jeongguk who got hurt but after all those unexpected hits he took from his father and feeling helpless and immobile afterwards, he now had the ability to act against that scene and he was determined to start redeeming himself or someone else.

Entering the dingy apartment complex, he sees indeed Jeongguk trying to stand up with the help of a brown haired girl who looks close to their age in a position where she seems as if she was blocking off any more other hits Jeongguk could get from the bulky man across them. They all looked at Taehyung in unison with different expressions, but all Taehyung sees was the slow trickle of blood in his chin from Jeongguk’s busted lip and the defeated look in his eyes as he tries to avoid his stare.

It was the man who broke the silence first. “Is this the boy you fucked last night, Jeon?” he spits through gritted teeth.

When Taehyung locked glares with the man who had a nefarious grin plastered in his face. He wanted no less but to beat that smirk off his face. He didn’t understand how he had encountered him less than five minutes ago but have himself get spiteful at one look at him.

“Yes, I was the one who took him home last night so whatever problem you have with him, tell them to me.”

The man chuckles at his words and looks menacingly at Jeongguk who was now upright but leaning towards Jennie. “You and your taste in customers never fail to surprise me.”

Taehyung turns to look at him which he had avoided so his eyes landed on Jennie. “Take care of him for a bit,” she nods, prying Jeongguk off the shelf he was holding onto for support and steering him toward the flight of rickety stairs beside them. When the footsteps faded in the dark, he turns to the man. “We’re both businessmen here so let’s not fuck around anymore. How much money did he owe last night?”

The man laughs humorlessly and walks toward the counter that seemed to be the apartment lobby desk, waving off Taehyung’s question. “You rich boys clearly think too highly of yourselves,” the man chuckles. “That boy is one of my prized _workers_ here and your little stunt of not bringing him back lost us a lot of profit for the night.”

Taehyung was smart enough to decipher that the man was pushing his buttons to either get pissed and engage in a fist fight with him that will surely not end so well with the man’s bulky figure and some other men hidden in the background or just plainly leave the premises for him to continue beating up Jeongguk for the money he failed to earn last night so he opens up his wallet and checkbook. “How much will he be for two weeks?”

-

Jennie almost runs out of breath hauling her friend up their second floor unit. When she finally got the door open, she removes Jeongguk’s arm around her and runs to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. Returning back, she sees him sitting on their couch with a blank look in his eyes.

“Ya, are you okay?”

He nods absentmindedly.

“Come look at me,” she says, grabbing his chin to direct his face towards hers. Jeongguk gives her a stern look. _Finally, he’s back._ “Sorry, but you won’t look!”

Jeongguk watches her fingers expertly navigate through the kit to press some gauze to his lip to stop the bleeding. “Wow, you’d be an awesome nurse.”

She rolls her eyes in response. “That’s a career I’ll forever just be when I have my eyes closed,” she laughs but he recognized the tinge of sadness in her words because he hears himself use the same one from time to time. “Fuck, I didn’t know Oppa was that pissed with you. I’m sorry, I should have warned you about him.”

“It’s fine, it’s not the first time he’s done that,” Jeongguk mumbles while searching for a topic ro change the subject. “Where’s Nayeon?”

Jennie’s hands slacks a bit on his lips and avoids his eyes. “I don’t know. She left early this morning and she didn’t leave a note where she went,” she sighs. “Anyway, the guy you brought back.. did he--”

The sound of footsteps nearing their room and the door opening interrupts her carefully constructed questions as they both bolt upright. What on earth had Hyung done to Taehyung? Jeongguk curses himself for being stupid enough not having asked his full name or even his phone number. How can he now make sure he was okay?

The door spits out Taehyung’s head, looking rough from the heat yet left unscathed. “You shouldn’t really forget to lock your door at a neighborhood like this,” he chuckles at the two. “Anyway, Jeongguk. Pack your bags and come with me. You get ten minutes before your boss catches up and beat the living shit out of me so..”

“W-what? Are you serious?” Jeongguk and Jennie, both visibly shaken by the exchange stared at Taehyung in disbelief and at each other for a minute. It took Taehyung to barge in their room, uninvited, to say, “Does it look like I am? Hurry!”

Jeongguk still was shook as he was when Taehyung, in his entirety, showed up in his doorstep. None of his customers had cared enough to know where he lived let alone enter the place they lived in until a whirlwind, a rich, good-looking whirlwind, entered his life a night prior. Jeongguk hates to admit it, but not knowing what that man was up to and asking him to back his bags immediately ignited split feelings of panic and giddy in him. He looks at the messy cushion on the far end of their bedroom that had been his place of refuge for his time in Seoul. The only bag he was able to snag was the backpack he used the first time he met Jennie and filled it up with a handful of shirts, sweatpants, and other necessities he could fit inside. He also changed into a comfortable white shirt, some jeans and a pair of rugged boots he still had from Busan. Catching a glimpse of himself in a small mirror Jennie had stuck on to the wall, his hastily washed hair from Taehyung’s hotel room looked horrid so he threw on a beanie he caught hanging from their shared closets. Fixing himself to be a little bit more presentable, he hears a slightly muffled sound from the living room from Taehyung telling him to go a bit faster. Rolling his eyes at this, he grabs his bags and walked into a scene he couldn’t seem to comprehend.

Taehyung and Jennie were engaged in an intense staring contest, with Jennie having her fists balled up and Taehyung’s jaw clenched. They both didn’t seem to notice him so he cleared his throat loudly. “Um, guys?”

This seemed to work as they both recoil from their positions and plaster out some sort of smile to welcome Jeongguk’s presence. “I’ll wait for you outside.” Taehyung’s gaze was steely towards him and he could not help but feel uneasy not knowing what had occurred to them both while he was packing. He turns to Jennie and asks, “What happened?”

She shrugs in return, an action she always had done when she doesn’t want to talk about something anymore. “You got what you need?” she asks while smoothing a fold in his shirt. “Yeah, hopefully I packed enough. I still don’t understand why I’m going along with this, and also you and Hyung,” he awkwardly laughs.

Jennie attempts to smile as she looks him in the eye. “Hey, take care of yourself, alright? I don’t really trust that guy but it’s better for you to come with him than stay here, not with Hyung’s raging like that. Update me wherever you can, you know my number.” Jeongguk closes the gap between them with a tight hug.

-

When Taehyung and Jeongguk both descended the stairs towards the main entrance, Jeongguk notes how Hyung was nowhere to be seen. “What happened between you and the man that was here earlier?”

Taehyung shrugs and walks faster. “It was fine, I sorted out things about you not going home last night and for you to stay with me for a bit.”

“Oh, but--,” Jeongguk starts.

“Can we please just go?” Taehyung winces at the volume of his voice and visibly sees Jeongguk recoil so he starts again with a more controlled tone. “Sorry, I just don’t feel so good after what happened.”

“Okay, then.” Jeongguk sighs as they walk towards Taehyung’s borrowed vehicle. “I’ll just be the one to drive, tonight.” He originally intended for the statement to be a question, but he had his answer when Taehyung wordlessly took the passenger seat with no fight at all. ‘Wow, he really is in a bad mood right now,’ he thinks as he enters the driver’s seat.

Nine-year-old car obsessed Jeongguk who had cut out cars from newspapers, used his extra allowance money to go to internet cafes and search about designer cars that were due to be released that year and learned restoring other cars in his Samchon’s workshop would be nearly pissing his pants right now while driving a DB11 in Seoul, but he hated to be the one to break it up to that boy, he’d be driving with all cacophonic confused feelings trapped inside its air conditioned body.

-

Somewhere in traffic, Jeongguk musters to ask Taehyung who was on his phone for the last thirty minutes a question he knew could trigger his anger even more but he had to.

“Taehyung, I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

“I already told you. I booked you for two weeks. I paid your pimp or whatever your fee for the days you’ll be gone in service, hell, even more than that.”

Jeongguk felt the toxic stench of cheapness creeping onto his mind after Taehyung’s delivery but he strategically hides it in the back before it can seek damage. “Are you going somewhere after two weeks?”

“That’s how long I’ll be staying here in Korea, then I’ll go back to California after for school.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry about anything. The money, the clothes, the explanations we’ll say when we meet people, I already sorted it out so chill.”

Jeongguk stayed silent but somewhere along the lines he knew Taehyung hadn’t probably done what he claims he did but he gives him the benefit of the doubt. He doesn’t know what made him stay so he resorts to thinking about the money he’ll receive after.

Yes, of course. Money was the best pacifier ever invented on earth.  
-

The hotel was so busy the time they arrived that the staff barely even gave a glance at Jeongguk’s direction as he kept up with Taehyung’s massive strides. When they finally reached his hotel room, he immediately fell back on the fluffy couch, careful to not sit in the same spot where the magic happened between the two of them last night (Jeongguk still feels the redness showing up in his cheeks as he tries to remove that line of thought) and lets out a huge sigh.

“You that tired of driving?” Taehyung, with a little bit of emotion, jokes as he thrusts a cold bottle of water in Jeongguk’s direction. As to where Taehyung got that bottle in record time and in a perfect time, too, he doesn’t know. All he knew was that’s awfully sweet and he needed to drink before another round of blush comes into his cheeks. Today has been a rollercoaster of emotions between the two of them and frankly, what they really needed was a silence break, in which they telepathically told each other while sitting on the couch with no shoes on and a healthy proximity between their bodies. It was a moment of peace neither of them wanted to interrupt but the stinging on Jeongguk’s lip from the water he drank got increasingly bothersome and he wasn’t quick enough to wipe the trickle of blood in his chin before Taehyung sees it in an alarmed look.

“Fuck, I forgot about your scar.”

“No, it’s okay. It’ll heal from its own.”

Taehyung gave him an exasperated look. “Can you please just stay there for a bit and not reason out what you feel? Okay, thanks,” he says as he disappears for a bit in the bathroom and returns with a bigger first aid kit than what Jennie had back in the apartment.

“Face me, please,” Taehyung sighs as he examines the damage on Jeongguk’s lips. Ever since he first laid his eyes on them, he had this unspeakable desire in the back of his head to see what it felt like against his fingers, his skin, his teeth, and his own. Maybe he’ll get away from touching it with his fingers without Jeongguk noticing.

Taehyung did the same thing with the gauze like Jennie earlier, but a more heavier hand. Jeongguk couldn’t help but wince when he pressed on the wound with gauze to stop the bleeding. “Careful,” he says quietly.

“Sorry. It’s been a while since I did this.” And Jeongguk did feel the slight change in his actions as he became more self-conscious in the movement of his hands. He couldn’t help but admire how quick and knowledgeable his fingers were in preparing the bandages and antiseptics with one hand while the other presses on his lip to slow the bleeding.

“I know I shouldn’t talk during this but,” Jeongguk stops to slurp up the saliva that pooled dangerously close to his lip. The last thing he needed was to physically drool on Taehyung; mentally drooling is more than enough. “No offense but how are you so good at this? Well, aside from the heavy hands.”

Taehyung was focused on his lips, but he sees a faraway flash in his eyes before speaking. “I-uh. I used to do this to my.. mother.”

Jeongguk beats himself inwardly for asking such a personal question. “Shit. Sorry I asked about that. That’s too personal. Sorry.”

Taehyung forces a smile. This topic was too awkward to maneuver so he changes the topic abruptly, even if he didn’t really mean to sound asshole-ish. “Jokes, I Wikihow’d how to dress a busted lip when I was in the car.”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes in response. He did not believe one bit of what Taehyung said but he hears the tinge of avoidance in his tone so he decides to play along. “As expected from you. I had to admit the mom story was really believable.”

He gets a laugh in return. “There, done.” Taehyung sighs and motions to collect and put back all the items in the kit until Jeongguk places his hands on Taehyung’s and says “Let me. Thank you again, um, for making an effort to research my wound.”

“Well, go ahead. And welcome,” Taehyung winks while mustering up the most smile he can give at the moment.

When he returns, Taehyung seemed to be in a much better mood than before. Jeongguk was about to ask why when he saw how he had been sat cross legged on the carpeted floor, fiddling with the hotel’s gigantic living room TV and was skimming through the available movies they could watch. He sits on the couch, hoping to not distract the man who looked so much younger whenever he’s around things he thoroughly enjoys. Taehyung turns to return the room phone in his hand and notices Jeongguk watching him from afar. “Oh hey, you’re back. I know it’s probably a bit early to go rest for the whole night so I guess, if you want to go out for a bit, that’s fine.”

“No, I’m quite drained too after what happened today so I think I’ll just stay here.”

“Then come sit closer! The whole room is so hollow and this is the first time I had someone over so I need the physical contact.”

“Oh, okay.” Jeongguk sheepishly says while lowering himself beside Taehyung. By the looks of it from afar, his seating choice wasn’t ideal yet the carpet was luxuriously soft, not those coarse and rough types he used to kneel on.

“I hope you didn’t mind me ordering room service already. Is Burger King alright?”

Jeongguk couldn’t help but snort. “You? Eating Burger King? Are you a clone of the real Taehyung?”

“Hey, don’t judge. Burger King does amazing cheeseburgers, better than most of the gourmet shit I’ve eaten.”

“I hope you ordered fries, though.”

Taehyung nods and Jeongguk feels assured. “So what are we going to watch?”

“One of my favorites. Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Taehyung looks at him for any look of recognition and Jeongguk feels defeated when he really wanted to answer yes but, “No, sorry. I don’t really like movies so I haven’t heard of it yet.”

He half expects him to let out a snarky reply but tells him, “No, it’s fine. I love sharing and discovering new movies.”

The doorbell rings and Taehyung rushes to get the takeout he had ordered from Burger King. He hands the burger meal to Jeongguk with his fries and gets his own from the bag, When settled, he turns down the lights of the room on the remote and plays the movie.

As the girl gives the bust of the Author a wistful look, Jeongguk says, “The cinematography is stunning. Is that one of the reasons you love this movie?” He pinches himself afterwards as those words came off his lips.

“It is. How’d you know?” Taehyung asks with a mouthful of burger.

“I-uh.. I saw your camera display by the bedroom. It led me to assume you’re interested in photography.”

“Oh, right. Yes, I do. I do adore selecting fragments in human life to capture and preserve. Cameras give you the ability to create the reality you want to see.”

And with that, Jeongguk wanted to grab one of his cameras and photograph this moment. Two boys sitting cross legged in front of a surreal movie on a massive TV, eating burgers in the dark. This was his fragment of reality that he wanted to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware that I haven't updated for two months now and I just wanna let you guys know that im currently dyinggggggggggggggg in college but i will still continue temporary fix, just finding the time to pick up writing the chapter i've been working on :(((((((((( again sorry for the delay :(((((((((((((((((((


End file.
